Phantasmal Soldier
by samwryder
Summary: Shirou, after saving many lives in Ginza, joins the JSDF as they travel through the gate in to the special region. His goal, to save as many as he can. After all it's never wrong to save someone. Rated T for violence.
1. Chapter 1

Phantasmal Soldier Chapter One

Nothing lasts Forever.

Written by Sam Ryder

Completed on:

AN: Okay, so straight to the point, I re-read chapter one and almost threw up with how bad it is. So, I'm rewriting it. Of course, by the time you see this it'll be done but still.

Story Starts Here:

Japan. He couldn't believe he was back in Japan. It wasn't that he never thought he'd be back, he'd a trip scheduled at the end of the year in fact. Rumors of an apostle changed that, an apostle in a city the size of Tokyo was terrifying, the amount of people that could be afflicted made it a priority whenever the rumor came up. That none of the rumors in the last ten years had been verified as anything less than complete falsehoods, well it was the only reason he was alone.

So there he stood in the middle of a crowd, in one of the largest districts in Tokyo; where three supposed victims had gone missing with only a puddle of blood as a mark of them ever being there, getting the lay of the land. He'd been there four days, four days of no attacks, no more crime scenes and four days dreading this moment. When the crowds gathered for the doujinshi comics conventions.

On the upside, he thought to himself, it looked like the apostle was nothing more than a witch hunt this time around as well.

Perhaps, he could, if after finding nothing during the coming evening, make a brief detour through Fuyuki and spend a few days visiting Fuji-nee.

That thought was pushed from his mind as a large shadow swept across the ground and up over the side of a building. A shadow to large to be a bird and to quiet to be any kind of machine. A shiver ran through him as a second shadow swept across the ground even as he looked up. His blood grew cold.

The form silhouetted against the sun, there was no mistaking it. A dragon.

"Everyone get indoors!" He yelled.

It wasn't like that would help overly much, save maybe keep them from its notice, but there was nothing he could do except save as many as he could. The swords he had that would slay dragons and he had quite a few, were far from cost effective. Still...

"Trace on." He murmured. None of the people moved, those not staring curiously at the dragons form, stared at him as if he were a nut recently escaped from some institution or another. Honestly he didn't blame them, they probably thought it was some sort of publicity stunt. He could only hope they would think the same of his actions.

Judging the concept of creation. Created as a sword without peer, a blade to which no other can compare.

The shadow passed over a building out of Shirou's sight, he didn't pause to think, instead he began to run. As fast as he could he turned the corner and found himself face to face with a heavy military force, a mix of men and of all things orcs. Which he'd sworn had been totally exterminated over a century prior.

Hypothesizing the basic structure. A blade with many forms, a long slim blade to some but to most a dual edged great sword adorned in gold and gleaming bright. A dragons visage etched into the blade.

The man in the saddle of the most forward horse gestured with his sword and yelled something in a language that Shirou had never heard of before. It had to be the commander, he wore the brightest armor with the most ostentatious helmet. Absently, Shirou analyzed the sword in the man's hand and found a copy of it planting deep into the Unlimited Blade Works. Sadly, it wasn't one he'd likely ever use, it was a straight edged blade and it was balanced poorly. He had other's that would've been far more suited for anything really.

Duplicating composition of its creation. Woven Iron made up the heavy sword, the flat of its blade inlaid with gold along with its wide hilt.

Shirou turned, holding a hand up into the air as a curled up creature descended toward him, any onlooker would have thought it his end, what with the blade the unfurling creature held. They were wrong, in the span of a second, likely less, his empty hand was filled. An overly long long sword reached out to greet the exposed belly of the beast so intent on ending its wielders life, and left a deep score. The Orc fell to the ground clutching its stomach and squealing in pain. It died moments later.

Normally, Shirou would have taken no pleasure in ending a life, even to save another but the sword held in the creatures hand and it was no doubt a sword though it looked more like a ong knife, was seeped in blood, death and misery. More children had felt the edge of its blade and slipped screaming into their eternal rest than any other that held no legend, at least as far as Shirou had encountered. The worst of it came with the knowledge that it bordered on having a legend, and a copy had formed deep within him.

His attention turned skyward once more, the dragon, though he was beginning to doubt that's what it was it having a rider as it did, was gone. The prana heavy inside him begged release, demanded use and he knew the draconian creature would pass again. People screamed, their surety in the obvious stunt, shifting to abject terror. They ran.

Imitating the skill of its making, reforged from a mystical blade once shattered by Gungir this weapon became cursed, demonic and was soon bathed in a dragons blood. The hands that tempered the blade did not survive long.

His heart like thunder in his chest, SHirou turned at the sound of gunfire, a civilian by the look of him had commandeered the gun from a frightened police office and had shot through the wings of the the dragonic mount sending it tumbling from the sky. It was no dragon, it was a wyvern, still extinct, save for one he'd heard the clock tower had procured and kept in stasis when they didn't need parts. While the wyvern hadn't survived the crash its rider did, and before Shirou could trace a thing the civilian soldier had taken the fight to him. The invader did not survive. With a quick nod to the man Shirou made a beeline for the next street where another wyvern had flown to take refuge.

Sympathizing with the experience of its growth, once holy turned demonic a dragon slaying blade holding a legend nigh upon equal with King Arturia and Excalibur. This blade stood alone as the sword of promised victories equal and opposite.

Lightning began snapping around his hand, the blades framework created in light blue light.

Reproducing the accumulated years, raised again and again to smite the wicked only to be turned toward ruin. Used to select kings it brought about their fate. A sword of the damned.

The sword finished but SHirou knew it wasn't done, it remained apart, hollow from its legend.

His circuits burned, far more than he ever thought possible, save maybe if he'd tried tracing Excalibur. In fact, he doubted he would have been able to get this far if the blade inside him wasn't warring with the bonds that held it. It wanted its freedom to slay the dragon kin before it, the faintest echo of its legend bearing hard against reality.

Exceeding every manufacturing process.

It's legend filled the blade, the sword of the hero Sigfried in some legend Sigmund in others. "Gram." Shirou said its name as if it were a statement. It might as well have been, the blade glowing a faint green that Shirou found he understood but could not explain, even to himself was held in his hands; it's very presence causing the wyvern to recoil, fighting to retreat from the hands that guided their reins. None of them wanted to come closer but it was far to late.

Holding the blade in the air its glowing edge glinted and something in the wyvern changed and Shirou knew what. It was why he selected the sword despite its demanding cost. The ability to instill jealousy into any who saw it and wyvern and rider alike were focused on the blade.

Shirou readied himself as they came for him, and as the first reached him he cleaved down and than across again and again. With each swing he took a step leaving a bloody swath in his wake. They weren't dead however, some were missing hands, others a leg or even thumbs, regardless none would ever be able to stand and attempt the slaying of an innocent so easily again. Gram raged in his hands, it wanted more than blood, more than maiming its target, life was the price it demanded for wielding its glory and despite Shirou's best efforts with one or two it may have gotten its wish, thought Shirou didn't think so.

As the last of the Wyvern struggled on the ground, their riders screaming in a choir of agony, Shirou broke the sword in his hands down into prana again and allowed it to float away like so much dust in the breeze. The sky was heavy with the sound of helicopters and gunfire alike, he couldn't help but grimace as the exhaustion took him deep into the realm of dreams.

He dreamt of fire, of battle, of glory and death on a hill of swords, where she waited.

When he woke, the scent of fire and smoke heavy in his nose as it always was after dreaming of it, the fighting was done. Thousands lay dead from both sides, others were missing and terror filled the population of Japan. Terror at the invasion from another world, terror created by the wyverns and terror through the reveal of magic.

Silently he cursed himself for the umpteenth time, as he stared at the news broadcast there he was, in a fairly decent video creating the sword that slew the Orc that attempted to skewer him from above. Rin, he decided, was going to kill him, if the clock tower didn't see to it first. Honestly, the revelation of magic didn't really bother him personally, his magic wasn't dependent on some knowledge hoarded by his ancestors, there wouldn't be any lessening any of it, but the clocktower would see it as a threat. A shiver ran through him, what if they managed to convince the "Blue" he was a worthy bounty? Or than Japan as a whole had to go?

They could blame it on technology and hypnotize another country into taking the blame.

"Emiya-san." The voice brought Shirou from his musings as if he'd been shocked by lightning, when he'd woken he found himself in some sort of field hospital under armed guard. At first he tried convincing them that what he did wasn't magic, but him taking weapons from fallen soldiers and cleverly hiding them on his person. Said plan went out the window when they showed him a video of a harpy casting some kind of wind magic. They knew magic was real so he tried to convince them otherwise. It went as well as a brick floating down a river. Finally he relented that he could do magic and promptly lied about everything else.

Could others do magic? "Maybe, it wasn't like I went to social meet ups for other mages."

How do you do it? "I don't really know I just do."

So, no one taught you? "Yes, I got lectures from a girl who was my age and a great master of the arcane arts revolving around gems." They didn't believe that one either which served Shirou just fine. Four days later here he was.

Shirou was bowing even as he stood from his seat, "Yamamoto-San"

"Please this way." Yamamoto said with a small smile. He gestured out the door and down a long corridor.

Shirou did what he was told, down the long hallway he went meeting up with the soldier who looked like a civilian as they went. The man look far less comfortable in his military dress than he had before but he made no comment choosing instead to give Shirou a shallow nod. They were led to a curtain and ushered into chairs just on the other side. A man of middling height and thinning hair was talking to the crowd and Shirou couldn't help the feeling they were late.

"What happened was an atrocity! They attacked civilians with complete disregard! However during this foul act two citizens of Japan, stepped forward showering great bravery and courage in the face of danger."

The man gestured two Shirou and the man beside him, "I present to you the Hero's of Ginza, First Lieutenant Yōji Itami! The man stepped forward and grinned cheekily as people applauded and camera flashes ignited.

"The other is a young man you've no doubt seen in the media, Emiya Shirou."

There was another round of applause and more camera flashes before the politician continued. "Today we not only honor them but all those who have fallen. Even now efforts are being made to clear away the rubble and see what survivors we have are returned home."

That was true at least, rescue efforts had found no less than fourteen people surviving amid the rubble. Posters plastered the flatter surfaces, relief vehicles lined the streets, The country came together.

The rest of the day past in a blur as did the rest of the week. Shirou couldn't lie, he hid himself behind the best bounded fields his meager ability in runs would allow. Based of geas once used by the hound of Ireland himself he made it to where should anyone try to cross the field would look for him if he looked for them. It was a clever bit of magic and it did the job, six times. It's biggest downside however, he had to keep his back to them at all times, so he had no idea who was looking for him exactly.

Over the course of the next month Shirou entered into negotiation after negotiation while a group of soldiers went on to the other side of the gate to occupy and protect the entrance from any who may attack again. By the end of the second month Shirou agreed. He would join them in the special region as a consultant and a deterrent to others who used Magecraft. When they first suggested it he'd told them in no uncertain terms, find some one else. His magic was far to specialized after all. If they looked for anyone else, they didn't tell him, and when they reminded him how many lives he could save, well, how could he say no?

With the barest amount of aphrehension he along with a number of other soldiers stepped through the gate.

Author's notes: chapters a bit shorter than I intended however, I hope it will do.

Omake:

As Shirou walked through the gate, after all what else would you call a gateway between worlds, a portal perhaps? It just sounded far too science fictiony to Shirou and apparently to the government officials in charge of naming such things, so 'The Gate' would have to do. Anyways as he stepped through the portal there wasn't the rush of wind, cool or warm that he was expecting, nor the dimly lit room hidden within a dungeon and though it was less likely as it had managed to send an army through; it was on the list nonetheless. Instead it was music.

"Log in you damned ones, crush the ones who won't compromise!"

It was an energetic tune the words while jarring seemed almost upbeat, Shirou paused, considering for a moment before nodding to himself unconcerned he was holding up the soldiers filing behind him as he decided it was definitely upbeat. And some of it was in Japanese... How odd. Now, while Rin would no doubt be expounding on the Kaliedoscope dropping them off in a separate reality rather than another world even as they passed into said other reality Shirou's focus was on something else.

Like the fact that, ignoring the numerous people in armor, which just so happened to look nothing like those that invaded wore, or that it looked like akihabara just ruined and overgrown with vegetation, nor was it the children with animal ears that Shirou supposed were so cute that Illya would be squealing in excitement while ordering berserker to crush any who stood between her and said kids. No, it was the fact that a decent number of the population even if less than the others were cat people. Full on bipedal cats with whisker's, fur, twitching animal ears and swishing tails. Not of course that Shirou had any problem with them, oh no, he just couldn't help but wonder, "do you suppose they like fish, are fish even a thing here?"

A number of chuckles around him told him he'd mused at the very least the last bit of this aloud. "You know, I have a feeling that sushi is a real popular menu item around here." It was a smaller girl though the muscles evident despite her fatigues told Shirou any who mentioned the fact were likely to find out just how touchy the subject was.

"Welcome." A new voice interrupted from a short ways off and there was a sudden series of 'clicks' and the sounds of shouts being called about though the blue haired man with glasses didn't seem surprised, merely curious. His next words said as much, "I'm Shiroe, Guildmaster of Log Horizon, may I ask just how you entered Akihabara without entering through the gate? And are you going to be causing any problems?"

Of everything he said only one thing caught Shious attention, he turned and looked behind him and his jaw almost dropped, the gate and a good chunk of the forces following behind him, all but the twenty or so with him currently, were gone or in the soldiers case hadn't made it through.

He could already feeling a headache coming on when he spotted the cause, or at least the most likely cause of said impending headache. Zelretch, who just so happened to wink in his direction before disappearing into the growing crowd.

It was not, going to be a good day.


	2. Chapter 2

Phantasmal Soldier

By Sam W Ryder a.k.a. samwryder

Completion Date: 10-21-19

Author's Note:

Folks you are amazing! A-MAZ-ING. I never thought I would get such a response. It truly is a pleasure to be feeding the imagination of so many. Individual responses will be at the authors note at the end, I just wanted to say thank you!

So, I know it's been a long time since I updated, I apologize profusely. Life tends to get in the way, nuff said I think.

Also Thank you to Bloody Hero for being such a great sounding board! It's much appreciated.

Chapter 2: One small step for man, a giant leap for magus-kind.

The weeks had passed quickly and the battles trailed off even faster. The primitive fences were already being upgraded day by day though it did little for the smell. Every few hours the winds would shift blowing the fetid scent of rotting corpses across the camp leaving them all gagging. Sixty thousand men, several hundred orcs, dozens of horses and hundreds of wyverns, all dead. The feast of vultures. No one that Shirou talked to could figure out just why exactly so many were sent to their death.

Though he had managed to find a number of survivors. To do so however, meant reporting to a superior officer, even if only in name and following some orders though those were scarce. Still, that's what brought him to where he was, in the commanders tent eating what apparently passed for a breakfast.

Shirou sighed over his tray, it wasn't bad, the greens were well steamed and the chicken well seasoned but it wasn't anywhere near what he'd normally enjoyed. Still, the food wasn't what was bothering him. That honor belonged to the man sitting opposite him and the smug smirk plastered across his face. Yanagida was far to ambitious for Shirou's taste but he'd proven more than willing to help when Shirou had rushed out into the field to save as many of the fallen as he could after the attack. The two had since forged a tenuous friendship.

"Look Emiya-San, you knew this was coming. It's not like you can spend all your time fixing the faulty electronics. You have a profile now, and the higher ups have you on the brain." The man leaned forward tugging on a lock of hair that hung just above his glasses. "It's a pretty low profile assignment, take one of the other magics users and a small team to what our people have found to be the magic capital of this country. Honestly I thought you would be looking forward to it."

Shirou shook his head, it wasn't like he could get after Yanagida, he hadn't explained how his magecraft worked save for the barest details. He didn't understand that the other magics would likely be beyond him. Still, said magic was much more prevalent and it left the air sweeter, like a ripe fruit to his nose. Who knew what he could learn. Finally, he nodded. "Just tell me where to go."

"I knew you'd see it my way." Yanagida stood and squared his shoulders, "Emiya Shirou, you have been placed in command of the fifth deep recon squad, your mission is to enter Rondel and learn everything that you can. Your squad will be waiting for you at the front gates at twelve hundred hours."

Shirou hmmed in agreement before spooning another mouthful of the food into his mouth. "That's fine, but you know somethings going to go wrong right? My luck is horrible."

Yanagida shrugged, "don't worry I've got you covered. Oh, and since the guys in the kitchen kept having to kick you out, I added a few extra's to your bag. It's by the door." His smug smile returned and a chill went down Shirou's spine. It almost felt like he'd done this before. An image of archer flashed through his mind. Or maybe it wasn't quite him. It didn't matter, Archer wasn't him and he wouldn't end up the same way as the jaded hero. He wouldn't.

"Shirou?" Yanagida spoke and Shirou almost jumped out of his skin. "Something bothering you?"

"What makes you think that?" His own question was answered as he went to grab another bite of food and found his hand holding splinters. "Don't worry about it, just a bad memory." He played it off a moment later. Yanagida didn't look like he agreed but nodded and returned to his own meal.

"Sato-San." He called drawing the attention of a small man bordering on dainty with a long nose and beady eyes that reminded Shirou of a mouse or rat. "We need another pair of chopsticks in here, run and get some would you?"

The mousey man scowled but hurried off and not five minutes later returned with a fresh set of chopsticks.

"Thanks." Shirou frowned, the man glared at him for a moment before handing over the eating utensils and shuffling off to his own desk without a backwards glance. It was odd. he decided. They hadn't had any interaction or anything that should have led to a negative opinion on the mousey mans part and yet there it was.

"Don't mind him." Yanagida said throwing in his two cents, "Sato over there was against coming through the gate. Figures if he glowers at enough people we'll all go back!"

Sato didn't make any overt move as if he'd heard them but Shirou knew he had, the tightening of his shoulders, the momentary pause in his arm, the fact that he hunched forward ever so slightly. Overall, Sato gave him the same feeling Shinji had, that he was filled with hate. The very thought of his one time friend almost had him snapping another set of chopsticks before he managed to catch himself.

Don't go there, he told himself, just focus on what's next. He repeated the mantra in his head on an endless loop as he turned his attention back to Yanagida. "You should really treat him a bit better." The words tumbled from his mouth before he could turn them over in his head.

"Maybe," Yanagida turned to look at Sato, "but he's such a pain and I swear that he loses paperwork just to mess with me."

Shirou laughed turning the conversation to something lighter. The two finished their meal with meaningless small talk, a fact that Shirou was more than grateful for. As he was leaving a stack of files was placed in his hands by a still glaring Sato.

"The members of your platoon, when you get a chance I'd look over them." Yanagida answered his unasked question.

"I'll make sure I do." He gave a short bow to Sato before moving the tent flap aside. With his first breath after exiting the tent Shirou stopped in his tracks, the smell of dust, of sterilized tools of soot and ash, like something from the medieval time period. The smell of another Magus's magic. For a moment he felt more than wary, when Yanagida's words came back to him.

"Looks like he's here." His eyes narrowed, the scent told him much about the magus, primarily he specialized in field work. A worrying fact in and of itself. Not to say that those who focused on studying weren't dangerous but one who worked in the field was typically a lot more flexible in their approach and didn't necessarily follow the traditional mage style of combat, like mocking an opponent.

The only way it would make it worse is if the magus belonged to the Fraga, though insulated as they were he doubted that was likely.

Turning his wrist over found he'd no more than twenty minutes before he was due to meet with his team.

He ran, frantically and without stopping as he pirouetted around one soldier was just wasn't moving fast enough and slipping between what looked to be a couple as they made to kiss all the wile cursing beneath his breath and clutching the files to his chest. He arrived before an assorted group clad in the special region green that he himself wore standing in front of two standard issue military jeeps just as his watch alarm began to blare.

His attention wasn't on the soldiers in green however, but the man in the long black trench-coat beside a girl who barely came past his chest wearing a grey hood. However there was something about her, something about her smell, about her presence. It felt like, "Saber?" He breathed.

Even as he spoke he knew the statement was wrong, flawed. She looked like saber but her little of her hair he could see was grey, and the smell, it wasn't quite right, like Excalibur but not.

"It appears the rumors are true than." The man stepped in front of the girl, his face set in a scowl. "Saber truly came back in the fifth war. Her wish must have been grand indeed. However, Gray is merely a descendant, if an oddly identical one."

Shirou met the other man's eyes, "My name is Emiya Shirou and you?" Shirou bowed slightly all the while slowly pushing prana into his muscles and bones. He wasn't fool enough to think any magus worth their salt would come to the special region for any decent reason.

"You may refer to me as either Waver or Lord El Melloi II, and yes the second is important, It is most irritating without it." He didn't bow so much as incline his head.

El Melloi the second. Rin mentioned him a few times, said he was a great teacher but a poor magus. Rin who's at the clock tower mentioned him. Which meant either the man was deployed by the clock tower, the Archibald family for whatever reason which could include a sealing designation for him along with his execution orders or he'd come for a different reason all together. No matter the option, none brought Shirou much comfort.

"Sir, I'm Yumehara, I apologize for interrupting but we're losing day-light." As soon as she finished speaking Shirou turned to face her. She was tall, nearly as much as he, with brown hair and eyes to match. Her fatigues did nothing to hide her broad shoulders and well muscled form.

"Right, everyone in." He answered. He took a place in the forward jeep and began flipping through the files until he reached Kasumi Yumehara. She was a combat specialist and a ranger, the youngest of three and came front the Kanto region. Still, that wasn't what concerned him about the woman who slid herself into the drivers seat. That according to her file she couldn't navigate worth a damn did.

"Yumehara-San. With all due respect, should you really be driving?"

She stared at him as if he'd grown a second head, "that's what the gps if for."

She pointed down at the little black device mounted beside the radio. It looked like one of the video games or cell phones Shirou'd seen kids and teens playing with back in Ginza. Not that he even knew how to turn the thing on.

There was a snort from the backseat and an older man's head appeared between them the thinning of his grey hair easily visible without his helmet. "Yumehara, what does G.P.S. Stand for?" He asked with a wide smile.

"What the hell Tanaka, what idiot doesn't know Global Positioning Satellite, oh... Screw you." She jerked the door open but Tanaka stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder.

He held up a map with an exaggerated sigh, "if it were a problem I wouldn't have let you get in that seat to begin with kid. You drive, I'll navigate."

Shirou shrugged as the woman gained an almost manic grin and as the car began to pull away from the base he turned his attention back to the folders. Arashi Tanaka, a lifer with the military. He'd turned down three promotions so he could stay in the field. He wasn't skilled in any one field but seemed to excel in a jack of all trades capacity.

"So boss man." A third voice chimed in, "you're supposed to be some kind of magician or wizard right? Can you show us a trick?"

"Teruhashi, that's rude!" Yumehara hissed over her shoulder.

Thumbing quickly through the files he found his newest target. Fuma Teruhashi, the picture depicted a large man looking something reminiscent of a teletubby. The communications officer and cook, he'd a few bar brawls under his belt. Shirou already found himself disliking the man.

"Teruhashi-San. I'm no wizard, in fact if you find a wizard I would suggest you run. What I do is magecraft and no I won't be doing a trick for you." Shirou tilted his head back to look at the man who didn't seem the least put out by his words. If anything the man's smile had gotten wider.

Tanaka cleared his throat, "Yumehara, just follow the road until you reach a bridge okay, it shouldn't take more than a few hours or so. Wake me when it's in sight."

Shirou's gaze flickered to the old man who was placing his helmet over his eyes. He spoke up as the snoring began. "Does he do this often?"

"More these days than before, but he figures no one wants to deal with him cranky and he's better in a fight well rested." Teruhashi chuckled as he raised a pair of binoculars. "No worries boss man, I've got my head on a swivel here."

Shirou nodded and turned to face the front again, and cranked the window down a smidge allowing the winds sweet scent to fill the vehicle, it was something he was still getting used to the abundance of magic that lingered in the air. "Oh, Teruhashi." He said over his shoulder.

"Yes boss?"

"I'll be cooking tonight." His words left no room for argument and he couldn't keep the joy from his voice. He felt bad for taking a chef's place from them, really, but he hadn't been allowed to so much as touch a skillet since they'd arrived at Alnus. If that didn't change he wasn't sure what he would do.

"Sir, we've been given rations. You hardly..." Yumehara trailed off as Shirou caught her eye and her mothers closed with an audible 'click."

"Don't worry about the rations, we won't be needing them." His voice was challenging but not a single person took him up on it. "Good, I'll take care of the cooking."

"Yes boss." The humor and exuberance Teruhashi exuded slipped a bit and Shirou had to fight to keep from relinquishing his prize. It wasn't like he thought Teruhashi would be a bad cook or anything of the sort, nor did he think his would necessarily be any better but still, he hadn't been able to cook since before coming to the special region. So save for the few repair jobs he'd been bored, something that didn't sit well with him. Besides, cooking always helped him think and fed people at the same time. Hunger, after all, was the enemy.

The words replayed in his head in sabers voice and he smiled softly as he turned to gaze into the distance.

A few hours later they slowed to a stop along a steep bank and a swift moving river over which a ramshackle bridge extended. "Emiya-San think that'll support the jeeps?" Yumehara asked while pointing out the bridge in question.

The bridge was wide enough, if barely, but it looked more than a little old, in fact Shirou wasn't sure it would support a person let alone a horse and cart or car. He could reinforce it, but even than he wasn't sure it would hold. Finally he shrugged, "I doubt it, we'll have to find another way across, after all where there's one bridge there's another."

Yumehara glanced back toward Tanaka. "Should we wake him?"

"Just let the old man sleep would ya? It's not like all of us have a hard time reading the map," Teruhashi answered before Shirou had a chance. He unfolded his own copy of the map and spent a moment squinting at it. "Follow the river down Yumehara, hopefully we can find a place to cross as we go."

Shirou shrugged, it wasn't like it really mattered to him who navigated, however he glanced toward the sun, it had long since began slipping into the distance painting the sky in a twisting pattern of orange and pink. "We're braking here for the night, set up camp and tell Velvet to set up a perimeter."

His orders were followed without the slightest bit of hesitation and soon camp was set up along side the river. Shirou stood watching the river, a long rich brown branch held at his side.

"May I ask why we've decided to stop here?" The svelte voice of Velvet uttered from behind him. Shirou didn't bother looking at him, after all he understood, there was still at least an hour of light remaining in the day, and it was likely that they would be able to make it to a small town or even Rondel itself before they stopped for the day.

That however wasn't something Shirou was interested in.

"I'd prefer to enter a town in the middle of the day, it makes it easier to get the lay of the land and makes a possible retreat more likely." Shirou stated, "have you finished the bounded field?"

The answer was no, Shirou already knew, the scent of the young lords magecraft and it hadn't even begun to permeate the area. He probably hadn't started.

He received no reply beyond the fading of the older mage's footsteps but that was more than enough for Shirou. Turning his attention back to the stick and with a simple pull of his Od he began.

"Trace on." He said allowing the magical energy to fill his circuits.

The tree was old and yet young, barely more than eighty seven years and the branch had fallen not due to illness but weight. It remained strong.

The blueprint formed in his mind like a 3D image. Normally he wouldn't bother reinforcing a branch of things, in fact he'd all but given up reinforcing the mundane, however. A second schematic filled his mind, one he'd traced a number of times before. It wasn't special by any means and had passed through the hands of many, the majority of which never brought out its potential let alone their own. Many who gave up long before they bothered to learn its name though that was by and far even more than unremarkable. The archery clubs bow six. A bow that Shirou Emiya took up for a year in Highschool. A bow that even now lay in the schools trophy case.

The two slowly merging until they were indistinguishable from one another.

Shirou took a breathe and pushed his prana into the limb. It grew longer, more slender, curving backwards on either end before tapering off And between either end stretched a thin fiber. Finally he stopped and inspected his work, diligently working from top to bottom until finally he lay it aside.

"Alteration complete." Gather a number of twigs he repeated the process. Though the twigs were much smaller their alteration was infinitely more complex. Soon the twigs image filled him before being joined by the next and the next until all twelve he'd gathered waited.

Alteration wasn't quite what most mage's would believe, at least not when it came to Shirou, though he was sure Rin suspected but as she'd never asked he'd never supplied the answer. With it he could replicate the history of any weapon he'd seen, that wasn't to say other weapons history was limited to that weapon. Or that he couldn't apply it to a weapon he was creating. Though the finished results never seemed to hold a candle to the originals or even his downgraded copies.

If he had to rate them he'd say they' due at least two ranks lower in most cases, and most only because he hadn't tried them all.

Over time he'd found the trick was adding the history during the original alteration. Applying it in a second round seemed to be akin to tacking a phone book to a cork board, there was no telling how long it would hold, not that embedding the history to begin with was foolproof either. Just less likely to fail.

Still, if failure deterred him, Shirou doubted he would have even made it to the rank of a third rate magus.

Three weapons, noble phantasms, flooded his mind almost eroding the blueprints of the twig away, only practice kept the image from being totally overwritten. The first was Hrunting, the sword of Beowulf. It would never miss its target but be doomed to fail should it encounter magic. The second, the spear of the Irish hero Cu Culhann, Gae Bolg, the sinister spear guaranteed to strike the heart of its target. Finally the spear of Lugh, which held the ability to return to its masters hand.

"Alteration." HIs circuits warmed quickly, achingly so but the twigs stretched and morphed in a mockery of growth as they gained jagged barbed tips and the wood stained itself red as if dipped in the blood of countless foes. The whole process took a few minutes still Shirou loosed a sigh as the process began to wind down. And just like that the arrow shattered. "Dammit." He groused.

Still, it wasn't like it would be enough to stop him, failure never had before.

Another stick made its way into Shirou's hand and he began again. "Alteration," he whispered. The wood extended, it's dull brown shifting to a bloody hue, its tip flattening and barbs extending. What took minutes before lasted far longer as Shirou slowed the process to a snails pace allowing the phantasmal concepts settle into the history of the projectile rather than forcing them into place. Finally it was done and the arrow hadn't shattered. Setting it aside he turned to the next.

They'd hardly finished their change when Shirou lifted one to the light, inspecting it for any flaws.

His senses were assaulted as structural analysis kicked in almost stopping Shirou's inspection cold. He could feel it, the copy forming within him. A copy of a weapon that was neither sword nor spear but an arrow that shared a history with both.

It had no name, and was newly born, yet its ancient past was filled with blood and tragedy.

Its construction was that of wood rather than metal and yet It had carved through the hide of a monster and the flesh of many men.

It contained a mi... A will, exu ded bloodlu.. Bu... HAdN Eve r Tastedit.

Shirou's head began to ache and bile filled his throat even as he tore his eyes away and the copy forming within him shattered. It shouldn't have been a surprise, the weapon didn't belong. Like a street urchin trying to blend amongst nobility the artificial phantasm was rejected and yet not, as it reformed again.

Despite its twisted origin and paradoxic existence he could feel it pierce the ground amidst the rest of the phantasms, waiting for his call. For where else could it exist? Still, it did nothing to stop the massive ache from forming behind his eyes.

Shaking free from the analysis Shirou took his stance, evened his breathing and slowly opened his eyes. His eyes ached all the more as he forced them to the large fish swimming in the middle of the stream.

Bringing the arrow to the string, he pulled and released. The shot pierced the water with such force, not even the swift moving water could halt the ripple. Like during the invasion he could feel the arrow's tether reeling itself in and not a breath later it dragged the fish from the water and into his hand. Or it would've if the fish wasn't at least two feet long and weighed far more than Shirou was expecting, instead it struck his hand and fell unmoving to the ground the arrow stuck fast in its flesh.

Thrice more he repeated the process, each time obtaining a fish just as large as the first if not more so. Satisfied, Shirou gathered the bow, the remaining arrows and fish alike before moving further from the camp to clean them.

"Those look like good eaten to me." Teruhashi called as he returned to the camp minutes later.

Tanaka snorted lifting his cap from his eyes, "anything's better than the rations we brought."

Shirou listened to the two banter as he worked. It was calming, like Rin and Taiga's arguing as they waited for him to finish.

"Hey boss man. Where'd you get the daikon?" Yumehara asked as she let up a chair across the fire from him.

Looking up Shirou blinked the smoke from his eyes. "Brought it from camp. Courtesy of Yanagida-San."

His explanation made her frown before it vanished so quickly Shirou wasn't sure if he'd imagined it. As she didn't say anymore Shirou didn't push the conversation, instead turning his attention back to his task.

He was putting the finishing putting the finishing touches on dinner when the age old smell of dusty books filled his nose accompanied by a stronger version of the sweet aroma of the special regions magic filled air. The bounded field was up.

Perfect timing.

"Is that buri daikon and fish?" Tanaka asked apparently having heard Shirou begin serving the food.

"It is, and" Shirou pulled a pot from amidst the stones, "rice. Now let the others know than come get some." Shirou smiled as the old man all but bolted off.

Soon enough a small crowd had gathered around the fire, though it seemed a number of the soldiers decided to stay on guard duty despite the bounded field. For a moment, Shirou thought about telling them not to worry about it but pushed the idea away. If it was what they wanted to do, he'd no issue with it.

"This is great Boss-Man!" Teruhashi crowed around a mouthful of fish. "It's just as good as Furuta's!"

THe smile that had started to form on Shirou's face froze as Teruhashi finished his statement. He hadn't met Furuta's personally, but he'd heard of the man and his dream of opening up a restaurant. Still, it wasn't often his food was found wanting in any way, shape or form.

"I don't know, I think Furuta's is a bit better. Than again he had a proper kitchen."

The words struck him like an arrow and Shirou rigidly turned to look at Yumehara who didn't seem to realize the effect of her words with how busy she was stuffing her face.

"It's good." Her voice was soft but the words of Waver's apprentice filled Shirou with joy and pride.

"I hate Japanese food." Waver mumbled from beside her. He'd set his plate off to the side and had his nose buried in an old fashioned leather bound book Shirou would have expected to see in the clock tower.. "Though it seems to be edible."

His good mood fell away at Waver's words, it wasn't the first time he'd been given comments similar to those and there was no guarantee that the fish tasted the same as the ones from earth. But it tasted fine to him.

"Are you nuts?" Tanaka growled, "This is freaking delicious! Furuta's good but I doubt he could equal this."

With as shake of his head, Shirou turned his attention back to his own meal as the three bickered. It was almost like, home.

The group still hadn't finished their nattering when Shirou headed for his tent. Instead they turned their attention to what little of the portion remaining arguing which amongst them deserved the final serving when Waver stopped the argument cold by collecting the remnants and pressing the plate into Grays hands.

"You can hardly be expected to get by if you don't eat", those were the last words that Shirou heard before sleep claimed him.

The next morning came and went and it was mid afternoon when they'd finally came across a bridge of stone that was wide enough, if barely, to allow the jeeps to cross. The fact that it seemed to be guarded by bandits of all things, well that was hardly something that seemed worth worrying over.

"What do we do boss man? Do we just run the bridge?" Yumehara asked as she revved the engine.

Tanaka cut in before Shirou could answer, "Damn Yumehara, what's with you always wanting to run something over? It's not going to get anyone to say 'oh wow!'" He snickered into his hand leaving Shirou to wonder what exactly was so funny.

"Shut it Tanaka! Shut. It." Yumehara warned, her grip on the wheel grew so tight Shirou could hear her knuckles pop one by one.

Tanaka's laughter only grew louder, "I thought you were supposed to be the perfect pretty girl?"

Shirou rolled his eyes, "Yumehara, why don't we wait to run them over, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover."

With that said he pushed his door open and stepped out into the afternoon light. The water rushed by roaring angrily as it crashed against the bridge that bound it. Taking in the people leaning against the bridges outer column. They wore red bandanna's tied about their head, leather chest armor and greaves dyed black and pants of a dark brown. Both were armed, one held a battle axe and the other a pair of short swords the blades as white as snow.

"Hey there friend." The axe man called with a grin but Shirou wasn't paying attention, instead he allowed structural analysis to take over as the weapons formed in his internal world. To be sure axes weren't swords but it fell into place quickly enough.

The swords were never named. Forged of iron form the far north, iron that was said to be imbued with magic. They'd been crafted a dozen years prior in the city of Rondel by a blacksmith who used magic to temper the ore, for a young lord of Elbe. A lord who touched them but once and found them lacking. They were hung as ornamentation until the man who took them returned to them their purpose just two years ago. In that time they'd bit deep into the flesh of men, women and children without discrimination, felling any who refused to pay the toll. Dozens their failures numbered but still they bathed in blood, whether friend, foe or owner they cared not. The red blades hidden within the white.

The other was a weapon of iron and obsidian, embued with the power of a god. A tool any would consider ancient, a weapon of faith fallen to blasphemy. A battle axe of Emroy forged by the greatest of his apostles for a fledgling oracle. The blade was on the smaller side and peppered with needle thin holes angled through the metal allowing it to sing every time it was swung. A blade that had been discarded, it's power all but shattered. It was old, ancient as antiquity and wanted for peace that only the end could bring; however it hadn't completed its duty, and it would not rest until it had. Wielded by many, owned by one and it had allowed itself to be used to cut its owner down. The axe was named Wars Bolero, and it wept.

Shirou grimaced and leaned back into the jeep.

"Hey! I'm talking to you."

Ignoring the many curses coming from the approaching men Shirou turned his attention to Yumehara. "So, I don't think this will go well. I'd prefer you shoot them in the leg over running them over though."

Without waiting for her response Shirou started for the bandits, for that's what they were, his circuits hot and trigger pulled back. "I'm sorry for the wait. I'd rather not have any trouble, so if you would just drop your weapons and move aside-"

Their laughter stopped him cold.

"Look at him Parat, thinks we're gonna do what he says." The axe man cackled.

Parat stopped his laughter and pointed a blade at Shirou, "He can think what he wants Linden, s'long as he gives us 'is coin an' fancy carriages. Or we can just cuts 'im up and takes it."

Shirou almost rolled his eyes, only the fact the battle had all but started kept the motion at bay. Still, the man obviously used the blades to a decent capacity but from his stance, both blades at chest level and angle to cleave out wildly, his legs unprotected and balanced on the ball of the foot.

No, the axe man was more dangerous, no matter how difficult swinging the axe in any real pattern might be. The man was skilled with it, had taken many lives as proof. However neither were at a level where even assassin would struggle with them in a head to head conflict. Hardly more than glorified cannon fodder.

"You take the carriages if ya want, I'm sure he's some pretty ladies within just wait'n for ol' Lindin."

"Move it Lieutenant" Tanaka yelled as the whining sound of the engine became a roar and the tires spun on the dry dirt road.

Throwing himself to the side Shirou rolled across the grass, two cries of pain had his attention turn back toward the bandits and found Tanaka and Teruhashi out of the van weapons trained on the ground, though to be fair, Shirou was sure they were trained on the would be robbers he just couldn't see them. Upside? There wouldn't be any reason to train a weapon on a dead man, let alone two.

The sound of a car door echoed behind him and Shirou groaned amidst pushing himself to his feet. "Yes Mr. Velvet?"

"It seems we've caught ourselves some men. The question is, what do we do with them now?"

There was no easy answer for that, Shirou knew, imprisoning them wasn't possible, and taking captives was far from a decent idea. Leaving them bound as they went on their way was akin to a death sentence and so wasn't an option in the slightest. But they couldn't just let them leave either. They'd made it up to the forward jeep and found both bandits most definitely alive. Lindin didn't need seem to far off though his nose was definitely broken as was his hand. Parat looked like a giant bruise but didn't seem to be damaged further. He paused to lift the axe and upon settling it across his shoulders turned to Waver.

"I don't suppose you could curse them? Or hypnotize them? Mind magic isn't my specialty."

"Hmm" Waver responded and gazed down at the two. "Give me a few minutes."

Shirou nodded and turned his attention to the axe, he'd never really held one, at least not a halberd. It wasn't something he knew what to do with. Taking it back to the base for research was most definitely an option, as was finding an apostle of Emroy or temple and leaving it there.

A few minutes was really all Waver needed to, Lindin and Parat were wandering down the road laughing uproariously. "What did you tell them?"

"That they are inebriated and they should go tell the local constable they are as such followed by listing off their many accomplishments." Waver shrugged. "I trust that sufficient?"

Shirou nodded, nobody died, he'd call that a win.

AN: No, I'm not dead. So, so, sorry for the delay guys, life's been more than a touch hazardous as of late. I've two surgeries ahead, so that sucks. Upside, one has a fairly short convalescence about a week, the other we're talking about something a bit longer along with some rehab, but hopefully I might actually get to walk without a cane and pain, plus during my time off work I have plenty of time to write! So there's an upside for you folks too!

Answers:

So, a couple of things. One, my grammar. Grammar is my worst area bar none. I practice daily, however it seems to be slow going. I apologize for the inconvenience.

Second, as for which Shirou this is, well wait and find out.

Third, the rush of chapter one was actually on purpose, It was the opening chapter and since not a whole lot changed overall I didn't feel it necessary to rehash every bit for you all. If you think I should go through and rewrite it please let me know.

As for its poor grammar I am working to correct that.

I accept all reviews: Good, bad, or indifferent.

Once again huge thanks to my beta Bloody Hero.


	3. Chapter 3

Phantasmal Soldier

By Samuel W Ryder

Obligatory Authors Note: So I don't think these are actually required for certain but hey, it can't hurt. I Don't Own These Works.

Authors Note: So, let me say this is not abandoned in the least. Second, earlier this month I went in to surgery, nothing major. Suffice it to say in about five months or so I should be up and moving again. This time without pain, I hope, maybe even running, (wouldn't that be nice?) Nonetheless I wanted to thank all of you for hanging in there.

Completed on

Chapter 3: The city of Elange and La

They pulled up to a walled city in the early evening, the large lake beside the city aglow in pinks and oranges. At the cities gate stood a group of three with a pair of soldiers standing just behind. There were no drawn weapons, no bounded fields, nothing.

"Don't screw his up boss man." Yumehara said as Shirou opened the door with Tanaka slipping out behind him.

"Just be ready alright." Tanaka snapped making a final check of his gun.

Shirou kept his attention focused on the three, two of them were older; a man dressed in dark blue robes with a tall wizards hat carrying a staff and the woman wore a white dress with a light pink shawl, her silver hair was easily visible even in the wane light. The final member was a younger woman, if Shirou were forced to describe her in a single word that word could only be disheveled. From her long brown hair, the noticeable bags beneath her eyes to her semi wrinkled state of her yellow robes and ink tipped fingers, in her hand she carried a ring from which three strands of what looked to be gem beads hung.

The older woman stepped forward a hand going to her cheek, "my, my, my," she said looking Shirou over and than the jeeps. "I don't suppose you are one of those occupying Alnus Hill?"

The absent minded look in her eyes faded in that instant and Shirou found himself selecting blades before shaking it off. Finally he answered, "we are. I am Emiya Shirou, and myself and my companions are looking for the city of magic, Rondel."

"And if it is?" The younger woman said crossing one arm beneath her generous bust and Shirou couldn't help but grin. She changed her entire stance in that moment, she was set to start moving and use the odd weapon she held at a moments notice. It was amazing, Saber herself might have been impressed.

"We've been sent here to study the magic of this world in comparison to our own." He answered right back. There was no point hiding at least that part of the mission, it was what was said on all the official reports anyway. That his main object was to find a way to combat it, well there was no need to make the situation anymore tense.

"Arpeggio enough!" The old woman harrumphed and turned her attention back to Shirou. "To study you say? My, my, my."

Finally the man moved, holding tight to his staff he hobbled forward, taking a position by the older woman. "Now Mimoza, it is hardly respectable to start questioning ones purpose before introductions." He grumbled.

The woman look appalled at her actions, "Oh my. Oh my, I do apologize for how rude I've been! I am Mimoza La Mer, this is my student Arpeggio El Lalena" She said gesturing to the girl who was giving her the stink eye.

"I am Falen El Torchek, and if you truly mean to study our magic than you are more than welcome in Rondel." He gestured to the city behind him and than glance slyly at his youngest party member and added. "I'm sure Mimoza's student will be more than happy to show you to the inn."

To Shirou, Arpeggio looked positively livid and glared at the old man before waving off something the old woman was about to say. "Yes, Mimoza, I'll be glad to take them before I come back and make you dinner."

She strode back toward the gate. "Come on than, and bring your magic carts to, there's no need to be clogging up the rode with them."

Shirou blinked but started to follow her Tanaka at his side. He paused for just one moment his attention on the older two. "It was a pleasure meeting you, I hope we can find a chance to have a chat before we leave."

"Oh My! I believe that I am to far your elder to accept any wooing you may wish upon me! However, Arpeggio could use a man in her life, all she does is work."

Tanaka chuckled beside him and nudged Shirou along when he was content to just openly gape at the woman. Frantically he searched his mind going over every word he'd spoken in the last few moments trying to figure out where she might have gotten the idea he was wooing her. When he came back to his senses they were already in the white stone carve city.

Magic torches were settled on the walls glowing bright and he flashed back to one of Rin's many lectures on magic. If the spell were cast to light a torch was expanded to cover two torches the effect would be halved, whether through lower light production, heat production, or duration but most likel all the above. However considering the amount of glowing blue lights lining the street that definitely wasn't the case.

"So miss. Do you study magic here?" Tanaka asked of their guide and Shirou turned his attention to her.

She nodded without looking back, "I study mineral magic and am well on my way to becoming a Master. How about you? What's your magic like?"

Tanka laughed hard and Shirou found Arpeggio catching his eye. "Oh no miss, only two or three of us here can use magic and the Lieutenant is one of them." tanaka said gesturing to Shirou.

"I specialize in recreating things, though they don't last." Shirou said, "I do know a couple of girls who use gems for their magic."

She stopped, whirled on her heel and looked as excited as a kid in a candy store. She grabbed Shirou by the front of his tunic pressing her nose against his. "Mineral magic from another world?! Howdoesitwork? Didtheycomewithyou? Whatdoesitdo? Isitexpensive?"

The rapid fire question caught Shirou off guard one the instinctual reinforcement that came as she rushed him saved him from sprawling on the ground. It took him a minute to realize she was waiting for an answer and Tanaka was no help, laughing into his palm the way he was. "I don't know how it works, No they didn't come with me, I guess it does what they want it to? Yes, it's expensive."

He wanted to laugh at the last line, before he'd headed to Japan he was working on something that would have helped Rin's costs immensely and she would be well and truly irked when he showed her but it would be worth her ire. After all, he still hadn't perfected the magic yet.

She stepped away a hand at her chin, "Are you limited to your specialties?"

"I am, everything I do is based around recreating things I've seen. I've never met another Magus as specialized as I am." Shirou answered. "What about your magic?"

What came next was a twenty minutes of conversation as she led them through markets and passed several academic looking buildings until them came to a rather plain building in comparison to the stone buildings that sat on either side. That wasn't to say it wasn't of stone just not nearly as ornate. A stable hand led the jeep around to the back of the building.

As they made their way to the door Shirou complied all the information he'd managed to get from Arpeggio. Magic wasn't so secretive in their world nor was it limited by the force of the world. A teacher taught a student their speciality and often the student would go to a new master before attempting to become a full blown wizard. Than came the information that almost stopped his heart, the gods still walked the earth, or as they called it the garden and they had apostles like the one that once held the halberd laying in the jeep. Even than his heart hammered in his chest. Only that Arpeggio and all the other citizens seemed to have no concern for the matter kept him from forcing the entire party retreat. He'd have to make sure Waver knew.

An ogre of a man stood waiting behind the counter dressed well in clothes fit for a merchant, a red vest tan pants his dark hair parted down the middle. "Welcome!" He said and snapped his finger drawing three goblins of all things into the room.

"It'll be on High Wizard Torchek's tab, these are guests of the academy." Arpeggio said gesturing at Shirou and his company with her hand.

Shirou quirked en eyebrow but said nothing. It would do no harm to let Arpeggio to but their bill on a tab. Considering the currency of the realm wasn't likely to be the same as their own. He caught Tanaka's arm and gestured toward the packs. The Innkeeper must have seen him because he gestured at the three goblins and spoke.

"We've several rooms, would like my friends to take your things up?" He paused and raised a hand As if expecting some sort of complaint, "have no fear for your items, I employ no thieves here."

Tanaka answered for him. "No can do, we handle our own gear, its policy."

The little creatures almost seemed to take offense but the inn keeper waved them away. "As you say. Your rooms are up the stairs, the three at the end."

All of them save Arpeggio who had to go and Yumehara who was left to guard the jeeps despite Waver's bounded field ambled up to the rooms. They were all identical, two beds set on either side, a small clothing hutch on either side of the door and a rest room connected to each. The rooms themselves were nothing special but something had caught Shirou's attention. A series of runic symbols etched in the metal basin that was the toilet.

"I see you've noticed the runes as well." Waver said coming up behind him

He was torn between laughing until he passed out at something as powerful as a form of vanishing magic being used to remove human waste and being appalled at the very thing he wanted to laugh at. In the end he ended up sputtering out a small amount of laughter. Rin would be fuming with rage as would just about every magus at the prospect of using a mystic code instead of their out dated plumbing. That thought chilled him and he turned his attention back to the toilet. It did manage to confirm one thing.

Their magic wasn't split by the law of diminishing returns as magecraft was back home. He doubted anyone would bother creating as many spell chains as the inn needed to complete the task it the magic was reduced.

Glancing over his shoulder at Waver Shirou winced. He may not trust the other magus but that wasn't to say he wanted to order him about. Still, "make a copy of the runes, and if you can see if any of ours will have any increase in effect."

Waver stiffened but quickly pulled out a small spiral notebook and a pen and set to work. "After your done set up a bounded field around the rooms, the last thing we need to be doing is letting our guard down."

"What are you going to be doing than?" Waver asked as Shirou walked past him.

"Gathering information just like you." Shirou answered and slipped out the door Tanaka on his heels.

They reached the bottom of the stairs when Tanaka spoke, "Sir, where do you plan to go for information?"

"When I was in Highschool I fixed a heater in the classroom where the after school dice games club met and played. They were in the middle of a campaign and when they needed information they went to a tavern. I figure it's as good a place as any to start." When Tanaka stared at him Shirou shrugged.

"Do you have any better ideas?"

Tanaka nodded, "that pretty gal from earlier seemed as interested in out magic as we are in theirs. Plus I think she likes you."

"She's already gone for the night Tanaka." Shirou said and turned to the innkeeper. "Where's the best place to get a drink?"

The large man didn't even think for a split second before answering. "The Twins, is the only place if you want a decent meal and a drink sir. It's two streets over and one past the square. You can't miss it, not at this time of day."

They thanked him and left, as they stepped on to the street Teruhashi fell into step behind them along with Wavers young assistant, Gray. "The master will be wanting a meal soon." She said before any could ask.

The city was bustling, far more people lined the streets and visited stalls despite how the sun was all but past the horizon. The blue flame torches glowed brighter yet the light wasn't eerie in the slightest, but comforting almost. Shirou could see why Rondel was known as the city of magic, it wasn't just because this is where students came to become masters but because the city radiated magic all on its own.

A cloaked figure stumbled from an alley and bumped into Shirou and Tanaka moved. He clamped a hand around a wrist far thinner than it should have been as Teruhashi did the same to a rather beefy man on their other side. It took Shirou a moment to understand just what they were up to, thieves, he thought. He patted his pants pocket and frowned, his wallet and ID were still there than his hand moved to his belt, his belt which had been stocked by the JSDF with some simple tools, a pistol and a knife. The knife just so happened to be missing.

"She's got my knife." He said, though he couldn't deny he was a little impressed, he'd never seen it coming and never would have guessed.

Tanaka on the other hand was far less impressed, "that she does, and if she doesn't return it." He spoke slowly, his proficiency in the language of the special region barring him from doing anything else. "If she doesn't return it, well it won't be pleasant."

There was an edge to the man that Shirou hadn't seen before and he reminded himself that as laid back as the old man was, he was still a soldier. A look at Teruhashi confirmed the same thing, gone was the playful man replaced by a man willing to commit whatever atrocity was necessary to complete his goal.

An evacuated hand slipped from the cloak at a snails pace, the knife in her hand hilt extended. "We's just bein hungry s'all." It was the voice of a young girl.

"Shut yer yap Dala." The man roared spittle flying from his mouth. "If you's wasn't such a waste ah air we'd been down da street, them none da wiser." He spat on the ground and glared at the cloaked girl.

Shirou had a horrible feeling, one he'd had a few times since the war, since he'd realized what his one time friend had been doing to the girl he called his to the girls other side he pulled back her hood revealing a blond girl in her teens with ears tapering to a slight point, he'd swear it looked like there was a white silver scale like tattoo near their tips but he'd more pressing matters. Her face purple, black and brown, tears were already streaming from her bright blue eyes.

"Sorry." She mumbled looking at the man, "I tried my me best, I did."

The man turned red and tried to step past Teruhashi hand raised, "I told you before you bumbling twit! If I din't say you tried yer best than you didn't!"

He hadn't gotten a half step before Teruhashi pulled him back in place and twisted his arm behind him. "That's enough." He said before turning his attention back to Shirou. "Sir your orders?"

Pulling his eyes away from the girl Shirou found they'd been surrounded by people, none looked hostile just curious.

"Where's your police?" He called. None answered just murmured amongst themselves. It occurred to him in that moment that he'd had to switch back to Japanese to say police.

"The guards?" He asked trying again. Comprehension dawned on them and one began to whistle three long sharp bursts. There was a long answering burst seconds later at no less than five guards sprinted down the street their armor clanking and swords drawn.

"Clear the way!" The one shouted and the path between Shirou and the guards was suddenly empty of people. They skidded to a halt seeing Shirou and his friends. "What's all this? Not even a day in the city and your roughing up the people that live here?"

Apparently their arrival was gossip worthy or at least news worthy to the guards and they'd spread word to the others. Shirou shook his head in response. He was about to start speaking when he caught sight of the girl again, Sakura's image overlaid hers.

"The man was beating the girl." He explained glancing at Tanaka who still held the knife. He got the idea and slipped the knife in to his belt. "I don't know about your people but we don't allow people to beat one another, I mean look at her."

He gestured at Dala's face and she shied away as if expecting another blow. The guards looked at her and as one spit on the ground. "We've no truck with abusers, an we never will." The guard at the front said.

"I'll not be goin nowheres, not wit da likes of you." The man roared, he tried to break from Teruhashi grip and screamed as his arm bent further up his back. He started to curse loudly as he fell to his knees.

Two of the guards came and took the man by his arms and hauled him to his feet. "We'll see what the magistrate has to say to that."

When the man made to say something Shirou looked away, the man deserved to be locked up, that didn't mean he wanted to see how the guards dealt with him. "Do you have any healing potions or spells?" Shirou asked the lead guard.

"Healing magics?" He asked seeming appalled, "such is the work of Necromancers!"

For the second time that day Shirou's blood turned to ice, Necromancy, a true sorcery! Slowly he nodded, "thanks anyway. Miss Dala, would you like to come with us or would you prefer making your own way?"

That got him a look from Tanaka but he ignored it. It's never wrong to help someone. He reminded himself. Dala started, she stared at him as his he'd grown a second or even a third head, shook her own and ran down the nearest alley never once looking back.

Shirou stared after her, there was something off about the girl, he just couldn't put his finger on it. Was it just because she reminded him of Sakura? Despite looking nothing like her she did remind him of the plum haired girl. Was it just the signs of abuse? He wondered.

"Emiya, sir. I believe you were looking for the twins?" Teruhashi asked still in full soldier mode. He was looking at the dispersing crowd with no small amount of distrust.

"I was." Shirou answered before pointing a short ways down the road where a sign jutted from the building illuminated by the blue torch fire. It was a crude drawing of two people identical in every way. "I think that's it though."

Teruhashi slapped his hand to his face while Tanaka chuckled. "Don't get to bogged down with just the people you need to keep an eye on the buildings as well." He told him.

A stomach's loud rumble stopped Teruhashi from saying anything in response and they all turned their attention to Gray whose face seemed to be glowing red even beneath her hood. The girl looked like she wanted to run away just as Dala had, only duty stopped her.

"Come on, I'd like to try some of the food." Shirou said leading them off again.

The tavern was busy, at each of the round wooden tables at least one person sat at a stool, and only a few at the bar were available. The fireplace in the corner had a neatly placed stack of wood. The decoration, at least in Shirou's opinion was even worse than Kiritsugu's minimalist style, stuffed boar heads lined one wall while a portrait of Elange and La was hung behind the bar. The final wall was decorated by splatters of what looked like multicolored paint. All in all it didn't inspire to much confidence based on appearance, but the smell!

Shirou's stomach growled, a loud irritating demand.

"There's a smaller table in the far corner that's free if your interested." Said a woman who looked as if she'd spent her days lifting the heavy trays and had adapted to it well said as he tucked a lock of greying hair beneath the off white bandanna that kept her hair from her wizened face. From the look of her she laughed easily and often.

Shirou smiled smiled at her, "Please and could you bring us enough to feed ten? We'll be taking it to go." He would have eaten it there but from the look of Gray no matter how hungry she was, she wasn't going to be eating a thing until she'd brought Waver his dinner.

The woman balked for a moment and than nodded, "If won't be to long just have yourselves a seat and I'll have the girl bring you folks some drinks, on the house." She bustled away without waiting for a response.

Making their way through the crowded tavern Shirou relaxed. While they garnered some odd looks it seemed that none of them were looking for a fight. He was fine with that.

"Ah man, can't we eat here and take the others their meals afterward?" Teruhashi complained as they took their seats.

"That's hardly the way to treat your fellow soldiers." Tanaka stared and with him reading Teruhashi the riot act when it came to matters of manners and food Shirou turned his attention to the conversations that were picking up now that they'd sat down.

"So yeah, that fool actually brought in a manticore and said he made it!" Someone said with a laugh, "the mages peppered him with paint until he and the critter ran from the room like a frightened rabbit." The time both he and his companion laughed.

"I head there's soldiers from Elbe hiding in the hills down the road. Nothing threatening like, but they were praying to Emroy all day wanting to lay down their weapons. It's what my man says at least." The woman sounded appalled that the soldiers were done with fighting.

"Can you blame them? Those wyverns were dropping corpses left and right as they passed over the city." Came the voice of another.

"The god's will punish all those imperial dogs, blaspheming as they do. I hope that Malt Sol Augustus finds his head on a pike." That was said loud enough that there was a burst of clinking cups.

The rest of the conversations weren't nearly as interesting. The typical of the day, the city council fighting with the mages about how the school should be structured. How taxes have been on the rise. How there'd been sightings of a flame dragon. Though the last was was called bunk. There were a few rumors about them going around and the fancy metal carriages drawn through what must have been magic as there was no horses.

By the time the woman came back with three baskets laden with food, the girl that was supposed to arrive still hadn't and they made their way back toward the inn, their stomachs howling in disapproval.

A loud roar made the building rumble and rattle, the silverware skitter off the table and loud screams followed. They had to press themselves back into the building to avoid the stampede of people.

Shirou was off and running in an instant, a black and white pair of swords filling his hands before he rounded the corner. What stood in front of him, standing amidst the ruins of a building was almost worse than a dragon.

Chapter End.

Authors note: So the've arrived in Rondel and met a few people and started gathering knowledge. it is a build up chapter and as such for those of you who wanted more action I apologize. That is coming in the next chapter. If you can guess what it is, shout it out. First one who gets it right gets to choose which of my two stories gets priority in the update list.

Major thanks to BloodyHero for putting up with the long waits that come with being my Beta.


	4. Chapter 4

Phantasmal Soldier

By SamWRyder

Completed on 6/10/20

A/N: Thanks for reading folks and a big thank you to BloodyHero, my Beta who without his help this would not be finished.

Chapter 4

Smoke and dust filled the air, the setting of the sun meant nothing, it seemed as if the night itself was ablaze. People ran screaming through the streets, an odd mimicry with the battle of Ginza, but it wasn't all of them. Flashes of light far different from the fire's sped through the air like bullets, their target a behemoth like creature a mash up of fur and scale that stood above the buildings. The head of a lion, though it's gaping maw aglow as it was with the fires it breathed looked as if it could snap up a man whole and have room to spare still, wings stretched skyward from its back leathery and far larger than the wyverns, it's tail, a slender serpent that Shirou would have entirely missed if it hadn't opened its mouth and baring its fangs. A chimera, even if not one from the ancient legend.

His circuits thrummed as power sifted through them and a split second later Shirou was off like a shot, his reinforced body allowing him to bound between the sides of buildings in an alley and up to the rooftops. If he thought the fire was bright from street level from where he stood at the edge of a building it wasn't, it was blinding. The reason he stopped was twofold, one, there was no less than a dozen figures flying through the air slinging spells at the creature, the spells struck true with all the effect of rain falling across a duck, and two, as much as he wanted to rush in, and he truly did, his lessens with Saber, the ones to stop his reckless foolishness, did work to an extent.

So there he stood, watching, searching for both a weakness and the sword that would work the best. While the creature undoubtedly had some aspect of dragon it wasn't a dragon, the dragon killing blades would work but he hoped he'd have something a bit more effective. Caladbolg two was discarded faster than the dragon slaying swords, it may have succeeded in killing the chimera but the explosion would catch the Wizards trying to slay it as well, as would most of the other more powerful blades he'd at his disposal.

The snake head snapped forward faster than anything Shirou had ever seen, aiming for a wizard that had drawn closer to attempt and attack at the back of the chimera's main head. Only a quickly formed shield of magic stopped his immediate death but in the snakes crushing maw the wizard remained.

Shirou was in the air before he realized it, a blade with no name filing his hand. A long sword in design, there wasn't any ornamentation, it was the third sword of a lieutenant in the Spanish army, he'd seen it when Rin in all of her wisdom decided he should go to every museum he could to search for anything that could increase the ability of his rather limited magecraft. In the end he'd accumulated a massive number of weapons but only two held vestiges of legend.

he landed on a flaming roof, much of which had already caved in, he couldn't tell if it was his use of magic, his cent, the fact that he was moving or some other six sense but the chimera turned to face him, it's open mouth glowing as it prepared to release another wave of searing fire. He leapt into the air and flung the sword as if it were a spear above the incoming wave of fire and fell into the hole. The flames passed over the roof even as he landed but Shirou was already off and running.

He kicked down the door closest to him and sprinted for the window, the glass shattered around him. Flinging his hand out he clutched at the empty air and a thick rope filled it while the hooked top stretched toward the roof. His feet had barely touched the wall when he was forced to move as a chunk of building, specifically the part of the roof his grapple had hooked to broke free fell toward him. He kicked off the wall back toward the building he just exited and caught himself on the edge of a balcony.

He was panting, the thick smoke making catching his breath even harder. The chimera wasn't focusing on him anymore, instead it was blasting streams of fire this way in that, it's only goal seeming to be razing the town the ground. Clambering up the wall, using the scorched etchings and missing chunks of wall as hand holds Shirou returned to the roof. The snake was no longer biting down on the wizard, and from the blood trailing his white underside, he hadn't managed to get away either.

He charged again, while the creature wasn't like the chimera from Ancient Greece killed by the hero bellephron, it was proving worthy of being called a monster, and if there was anything Shirou knew how to do, slaying monsters was it.

The number of wizards lying about had drastically fallen leaving only two in the sky and one slinging spells at the beast from the ground. Still they did nothing, Shirou tightened his hands, filled with the swords that he no longer needed to trace to call on, Kanshou and Bakuya. He threw them wide and brought forth a second set and threw them as well. A small twinge of pain filled his brain. The blades swept through the air toward each other called by the force of their legend to remain by each other's side. They bit into the chimera as they passed one another, shearing fur, scale, and skin and soon it's face was a blood covered mess.

He was nearly on top of the chimera when he traced the third pair he'd need. The first four were running out of momentum as each pass drew them closer and as he brought out the newest set they all turned to him. Like whirling buzz saws of death they hurtled toward him and Shirou ran faster toward them, at the last second he held the blades wide and like the Red Sea before Moses they parted before him. He jumped from the roof, his reinforcement allowing him to gain nearly a story before falling and he aimed right for the creatures mouth.

He missed. Not because he fell short however, but because he went long. Shirou jammed the married swords he held into the chimera's nose and allowed himself to fall away as the chasing blades cleaved through flesh, through muscle and bit deeply into the bone.

The chimera's roar was a mangled rush of pain but he'd his target, the neck once protected by the beasts admittedly short mane was bared. The blue print and creation process didn't even take a moment, not that he expected it too. Certain blades, despite their high cost seemed to help move things along and the red long sword in his hands was one of them.

Just before he hit the ground Shirou flooded the sword with power and felt his body become infused with the demonic swords energy. If Shirou ever had to define the sword with a or or two words than the Crimson blades description could only be unyielding. The energy reinforced his body further than his reinforcement could do alone and unlocked part of Shirou. All the needed answers were in front him as if marked with a to do list.

He curled his body just enough to get a leg beneath him suddenly it struck the ground and he was soaring upwards again.

The chimera still flailed about trying to dislodge the blades still embedded deep in its body stuck fast in its bones.

Rearing back he readied the sword, it truly was the perfect choice, it's very purpose was to never fail in its strokes. It glowed a bloody red as it drew in his Od. "Móralltach!" He roared.

The blade swept through the air biting into the chimera's flesh, there was only the slightest hint of resistance. Blood sprayed about as even bone gave way against the blade that never faltered in its wielders hands. The beasts roaring fell silent as it began to shift, falling forward crashing into another building crushing it beneath the monsters weight even as Shirou once more fell away.

His body ached, with no trial before him the swords power had faded until it was nonexistent. The magic circuits within him burned as he traced one last item, a grappling hook identical to the one he used before, latched on to a balcony and swung him once more toward a building, the red blade sunk into the stone like butter. With the aid of the rope and sword he made his way back down to the road and inwardly groaned at seeing the members of his team pulling up in a jeep with Tanaka leaning out the window holding a weapon at the ready.

"Shirou!" Tanaka called as the jeep pulled to a stop.

Shirou tried to smile as reassuringly as he could, for some reason he got the feeling he looked more weary then calm, it didn't help he could feel himself swaying on his feet. While creating Móralltach had cost far less than he should have paid using its ability was far more costly. Tanaka caught him and helped guide him to the wall where he slid down to sit against it.

"Why didn't you wait for us sir?" Teruhashi asked as he moved to stand in front of Shirou. "Not saying you're not capable but don't you think you could've used some help?"

"That was AMAZING!" Yelled a very familiar voice stopping Shirou from replying to Teruhashi. From down the street the young woman who played guide to them just earlier that day the weapon she'd held when he'd first seen her. She waved at them as she approached, "you should have said that you were so amazing at magic!"

Blinking sleepily at her Shirou shrugged, "I'm not, not really. Where I'm from I'm barely a third rate magus." He yawned and struggled to his feet.

She stared at him, the confusion written in bold letters across her face, "third rate? You conjured weapons capable of cutting into that beast when no arrow would and spells ran off like water off a roof, and your considered third rate?" She asked.

All Shirou could do was shrug again, what was he supposed to say to that after all? Struggling to his feet Shirou steadied himself before realizing he still held Móralltach in his hand as he looked to it several of the others did as well and stepped back.

"A variation on gradiation air." Came the lord El Melloi, "I am however surprised that such things were able to damage a beast of that caliber let alone is releasing such a menacing aura." He didn't say anything else nor did he question the origin, though SHirou had no doubt he was trying to figure out the how's or the mystery before him, he may even of had a theory or two but he wouldn't question it aloud. Such things just weren't done.

People were staring to exit the buildings having realized the danger'd passed and were converging on them.

"We should probably get you guys off the streets," Arpeggios said looking at the crowd, "my place is only a couple of streets over, you should come with me.

Shirou was about to say no when Tanaka answered for him. "That would be much appreciated ma'am."

It took him a moment to realize why, while the crowd didn't show any signs of being violent in nature, his whole team, even the lord el Melloi the second seemed to more on edge than normal. Apparently they were expecting some form of lynch mob to form. Silently Shirou nodded and released the mythical weapon he held allowing it to fade from existence it didn't go unnoticed that Arpeggios stared at the weapon until it was gone and stared for a moment longer still.

Miraculously, Arpeggio's home didn't even have a crack in the walls unlike the houses on either side, both of which suffered massive structural damage. One being so damaged it was little more than rubble. The old woman that had been with her that morning was speaking with a young brown haired woman with two children, both crying into her shoulders. They looked up and while the woman was set to continue giving them odd looks, whether due to their jeep or the green they were wearing, Shirou didn't know, but the old woman, Mimoza, Shirou reminded himself took her attention and pressed something in top her hand that brought the mother to tears.

As they were guided into the house Shirou stiffened, the house was one large mess comprised of stacks of books, half shuffled papers, half full mugs of drinks, empty plates, scattered blankets. All in all it was one giant mess and Arpeggio didn't seem to have the slightest issue walking through the thin trails scattered about the room. She led them to a dinning room where the table was actually clear of rubbish, papers and other debris that was scattered about the house.

"Mimoza will join us soon, () as well." Arpeggio said as she dropped into a hair and leaning her head against a hand.

"Ma'am what was that thing?" Teruhashi asked, though he seemed calm he glanced back toward the entrance as if expecting to be rushed at any given moment. The rest of them seemed almost as ill at ease however Waver seemed more annoyed than anything. He was looking to Arpeggio as if waiting for something.

"It looked to be a experiment in Chimerism." Arpeggio said with a shrug, "it's an area a lot of younger mages without proper masters try. After all it only takes a few ingredients to start experimenting."

Her words took Shirou's mind off the endless itch that came with the state of her home. He had hoped the mages from this world were kinder than those of his own. It didn't seem to be the case however.

"You let youth's experiment in Magecraft without any guidance?" Waver asked, voicing Shirou's question while he seated himself, apparently he was done waiting for an invitation.

Arpeggio gave him a deadpan look in response. "Do you have any idea what it would take to actually keep an eye on even half the children who find themselves with a proclivity of magic? There's not enough adults, and La emphasizes the lack of restrictions on learning."

"That's madness." Waver groused, "to be a magus is to walk with death. How high must the death toll be?"

He truly seemed aggravated by the thought of the children attempting magic without supervision, a fact Shirou filed away for later. Though he admitted to himself that it was nice to know the puppet lord had a heart.

"Oh dear, It would seem that magic works differently in your world. " Mimoza said, her pink clothing was streaked in dust and grime, her eyes cast about wearily until Arpeggio leapt from her seat. "Thank you Arppegio dear. Oh my, oh dear. I'm not as young as I once was" She lowered herself into the chair and took a cup of tea Arpeggio offered her.

"And Falen dear, do stop skulking in the entrance way. Oh my, but is it unbecoming." She added.

Shirou whirled in his seat, he'd felt nothing, heard nothing! The man had managed to sneak into the room without him noticing, something he'd not had another accomplish since the holy grail war and those were heroic spirits! The older man from the previous morning shuffled into the room his back hunched but his gaze as sharp as any sword Shirou'd seen.

He sat himself on a pile of books in a corner with a small sigh of relief and rubbed his hand Ino his forehead. "I must say I am grateful for what you have done this night. It seems a young man who'd failed his mastery examination released his experiment in a fit of rage."

"I gotta ask if he could create that thing, why he wasn't made a master?" Yumehara asked and grunted as Teruhashi elbowed him.

It wasn't either of the two older mages who answered but Arpeggio. "To become a master one must present findings that are new and show true understanding of the craft. On average more fail than don't."

"She's been working on her own research for years and it still isn't ready to go before the judges." Falen grumbled.

Arpeggio turned red and glared at the man, "I'm only behind because my studies are so expensive it takes months of work to get the jewel's and minerals I need for my studies!" She ground out.

"Better question, and I'm guessing I know the answer but you haven't caught him yet have you?" Teruhashi didn't pose it as a question, instead it was far closer to an accusation. The two elderly wizards shook their heads.

"Finding his identity is one thing, every persons magic is unique after all." Mimoza said. "Catching him however, that's something else altogether isn't it."

That seemed to put a damper on the room, Shirou had been expecting something like it however, the forboding feeling had lessened but hadn't vanished. "Okay, we'll head out in the morning and begin tracking him down." He said.

Teruhashi started. "Sir, while I understand you want to help-"

"Shirou Emiya is correct. A rabid magus is like a plague." Waver said, "if not caught quickly enough the damage could be astronomical."

That is was Waver that'd supported him when the man had barely remained civil must have drilled the point home. The others while none save Teruhashi seemed to wish to voice his disagreement looked resigned to the task. Shirou gave the other magus a nod of appreciation, though he couldn't help but wonder at the fact that Teruhashi was ready to argue with him, and not even Tanaka reprimanded him for his blatant disregard for the chain of command.

"While we appreciate your offer and the aid you've already provided, Rondel deals with it's own problems." Falen rasped and bowed his head far enough for the floppy wizard hat atop his head to come tumbling down. he stared at it for a moment as if it were at fault or just plain defective before placing it back on his head.

Shirou shook his head, while saber had beaten it into his head to look before he leapt, and he now did, he would still leap even if he knew what was in front of him was beyond him. It was just part of what made him, him. "I have a few ways to track this magus down."

"I'm sure a wizard as powerful as yourself is quite capable indeed." Falen interrupted, "but as I said, we citizens of Rondel will be dealing with our issues internally."

There was a small clack as the glass of tea Mimoza was holding was placed on to the table. "Oh, dear. Falen, we lost a number of the newer master's to the beast. You shouldn't dismiss help out of turn you know." She didn't sound nearly as cheerful as she had earlier.

Falen grumbled and adjusted his hat but said nothing in response, Arpeggio herself took a half step away from her master.

Mimoza turned to Shirou, "we would be glad for your help, but oh dear, you don't know the city very well yet, Arpeggio will join you."

Arpeggio was nodded before the old woman even looked her way, "I suggest you stay here for the night, it will save time if I don't have to fetch you come morning."

While he saw the logic of it Shirou stilled looked about the room for the teams thoughts and from each he received a silent nod. "Thank you for your hospitality." Shirou said and truly he meant it, being in the house of one of the other world magus's will books and notes regarding the magic they used would bring a lot of Intel. Of course he had his own reasons for wanting to stay.

Mimoza sipped at her tea. "Well, I suggest we have a small snack and turn in for the night. Oh, Arpeggio dear would you get the manuga meat from the cold box please and the rest of the loaf of bread."

Arpeggio moved off with a small nod a dour look firmly in place as she edged around a large pile of books and slipped by a large stack of pots some filled with molded foodstuffs and made her way into another room which Shirou presumed was the kitchen. As he was turning his attention back to those at the table he paused as he found a few cockroaches settled on a pile of wadded up paper with a strange looking orange sauce that was nearly taken over by green fuzz.

"Don't forget the tea and honey!" Mimoza called a moment later. It resulted in the clattering of dishes across the floor.

"Mimoza!" Arpeggio yelled, her angry steps drew closer before they paused and rapidly retreated. When she came back again she was balancing two large trays, one with meat that you'd see in an anime, the rounded meat skewered with a bone and a loaf of brown bread. The other with a kettle and mugs in various sizes and colors.

As he took his first bite of the meat Shirou almost blanched. It there was far to much salt, the meat was tough, and what flavor there was did not work with the gaminess of the meat. The bread was better, not great but better. Rye bread at least a day old, it was the type of bread that would have gone perfectly with a soup. Only two facts kept him from stopping, one, his stomach was growling as much as Saber's and two the happy way Arpeggio was looking at him and something told him she'd made the food and was happy to have someone eating it. A feeling he knew all to well. He'd have to give her a few cooking lessons when everything calmed down, he decided. It was still better than Rin's, he took another bite, or not. Rin was still better than him at Chinese food, despite all his attempts and the food in his mouth came nowhere close to that. The rest of her food though. Well it was a good thing she could could the Chinese food so well and liked it as much as did.

"The tea makes it a bit better," Tanaka mumbled beside him having apparently seen his hesitation.

To his own pleasant surprise, it did help with the taste quite a bit.

not long after they finished the group had scattered throughout the house; Waver, Teruhashi and the denizens of Rondel turned in, leaving Shirou, Tanaka and Grey with the first watch. Shirou, unlike the other two who rotated between glancing out the windows and checking their gear fell into one of his earliest habits. Cleaning. He stayed away from the books and the piles of paper knowing that fiddling with another magus's workshop was akin to peeping on them at their most vulnerable but dozens of times worse. Absently he rubbed the back of his head remembering the bump Rin had left him with after he tidied up her desk. In his defense however, and it wasn't much of a defense, the mess bothered him. So, he stuck to the trash and the dishes, garnering several looks of undisguised amazement from Tanaka as he went.

When finally he finished, he settled in a chair a cup of tea that he'd made in front of him and promptly fell asleep in front of the steaming beverage. That night, something happened, something that hadn't happened in years. He dreamt of swords and battle, of blood and death, of a hill impaled with countless swords and gears slowly rotating in the red sky above.

He woke as he felt himself falling, his heart hammering in his chest, prana surging through his body so quickly his muscles, bones and even his eyes ached. A nameless dirk filled his hand and grabbing on to the person clutching at him by the shoulder turned them by shoving his reinforced knee into the chair. He landed on top and was shoving his blade toward them when he recognized Arpeggio beneath him and dismissed the blade.

"Wha- mmph" He started as she lunged forward catching his lips with her own. She broke away just as quickly blushing up a storm.

That too ended as quickly as it'd come and she locked eyes with him as if eyeing prey. "You're amazing! You have amazing magic, you're a decent person, you're smart enough not to mess with my notes and work, plus you clean!"

The sounds of shuffling feet pulled his attention from the young woman beneath him to a pair of pink booted feet and cane. "Oh my, oh dear!"

A shiver ran through Shirou at hearing Mimoza. "It's been years since the kitchen's been this clean!"

"The lieutenant was in the zone last night." Tanaka grumbled as he poured himself the last of the cold tea and dropped into a chair. "Though I've never seen him turn a chair into kindling like he did."

Shirou leveraged himself free from the tangle of limbs that was his legs and Arpeggio's to stand and scratched at the back of his head. "It wasn't anything really." He tried to dismiss it all and found himself face to face with Arpeggio, her eyes sparkling like a multifaceted piece of amber catching the light.

"That's it, I'm keeping you." She announced as if she had the last word in the discussion.

Shirou blinked and bowed, "apologies, I just got out of a relationship and while I'm sure your a wonderful young lady, I'm just not interested in a new relationship at this time."

It was a line he practiced quite a bit, he'd heard confessions often enough since his escapade in Ginza and one of the female soldiers had been kind enough to tell him the exact words to say to politely refuse. It'd been a great help.

"Don't worry I'll wait. You'll fall for me soon enough." Arpeggio answered and behind her Mimoza laughed and clapped happily.

Pressing a hand to his face Shirou sighed, there was no point arguing with her. Already he could tell she wasn't the type to listen. "Can we just start looking for this guy?"

End.

Omake Start:

Within an undisclosed office, located on a hidden floor, inside an unmarked building that was always for sale but never sold, a young japanese woman sat going over papers, where nearly the entirety of the contents just so happened to be redacted. Her crimson blouse, which made the pale cream color of her skin seem even more ethereal, was rumpled as if she'd hardly left the room for anything in the last two days and indeed she hadn't. For the umpteenth time she rubbed at her eyes before looking over the few paragraphs that weren't marked out, as if the words themselves would change.

They didn't.

Outrage, denial, incredulity, jealousy, and greed along with a multitude of other emotions filled her. "How dare they?" She whispered still staring hard at the paper.

Swinging her arm out the papers fluttered through the air. "How. Dare. They!"

A bolt of wispy black shot from her finger and splashed against the wall. Another followed.

She'd heard of a number of worlds that her master Zelretch the Wizard Marshal, he who held the key to the Kaleidoscope, said had magic. One or two even still had their gods wandering amongst them an even scanter few had benevolent gods. Not once had any of them had a toilet configured as a mystic code. And if by some miraculous coincidence they had, her Master had never saw fit to inform her.

But still, A Toilet! Another Gandr struck the wall.

It was a gross misuse of the arcane arts! A despicable, outrageous, foul creation. The worse part about it, and it wasn't something she would deny though she wouldn't ever admit it aloud either.

"Why didn't I think of that." She groaned dropping her hands into her face. "Think about how much money it would have saved!

"Stupid Shirou." She sniffed while rubbing at her eyes trying to fight off the burning came accompanied her tears, "all your fault."

She sat there sniffling when a thought struck her. "So what if I wasn't the first to come up with it. I can still use it, just have to make sure no one in the clocktower knows." Over the time she'd spent there she'd come to a realization, while they didn't seem to mind nearly medieval privies, she did.

Scooping the file into her hands the pleased feeling that had been filing her with the thought of actually saving money dropped like a stone from a cliff into an endless sea of despair. Her spell had hit the paper's leaving them and the photo's alike, curling blackened messes.

She screamed

Author's Note:

So, that's it for this chapter, much less of a cliff hanger though I've no doubt that some people will say it's lacking information. I apologize about the delay, life gets in the way. Anywho, I do hope you enjoyed the chapter.

In other news I'm narrowing down on how long each chapter will take to write and edit. So, currently we're looking at two, maybe three updates a month, (that's three total, not necessarily thirst story.) As the story get's further along the time should shrink.

Finally, I gotta tell you, I have been reading on this site for years and if your taking the time to read my stuff because you enjoy it than I also recommend you go read Fahad09 's work. It's pretty awesome.

Now to those who took the time to Review, thank you. I really appreciate it. Your responses are below.

Jebest4781 : Thank you very much! Writing in the fantasy genre is far from easy for me. Magic systems tend to give me a headache. I will strive to make each chapter better than the last.

FrancoisDuComte: Not either but you've probably seen that fact already.

Heird: Thank you for taking the time to review! I can honestly say I've never seen Fate/Apocrypha, only Unlimited Bladeworks and Stay night. That said, and I'm not sure how it would work in gate or the fate worlds, but from what I've learned true necromancy is more than giving animation to dead beings. It is the true return to life. That's the philosophy I was running with. In addition it was only mentioned in connection with the ability to heal.

Dragon Man 180: Which not a dragon which is described as an armored tank, while threatening is hardly the most dangerous creature in existence. That said Shirou's reference was to the wyverns as there was no one to tell them that they aren't dragons. So in comparison the wyverns the chimera was much more dangerous.

I appreciate that you found the mystic toilet to be funny. I hope you enjoyed the Omake.

Maesde: Thank you for taking the time to review and I'm glad you've been enjoying my work. I will keep trying to bring the chapters at a regular pace.

AriFrost: I did have someone mention that, I haven't seen apocrypha as of yet but I was operating on the Necromancy I looked up outside which could be called a true magic.

The Conversation you seek will likely be in the next chapter. Thanks so much for taking the time to review!

Samuelalpha86: Wow, that answer seems to be a real bit to people, lol. Anyway I didn't know there was necromancy in the nasuverse, and was using my own understanding based on the study I have done. Which is returning true life, not reanimating the dead.

Lord of Moons: From what I have been able to gather from the Nasuverse and I may have misunderstood so please bear with me, the will of the world is constantly trying to inflict order upon magic. If that is the case than the world is by all rights breaking magic down and weakening it, so it wouldn't, at least in my opinion allow Shirou's weapons to last indefinitely. In a realm where the gods still breath that very fact might have changed but still. I appreciate your review and if I am wrong I do hope you will take the time to let me know.


	5. Interlude 1

Phantasmal Soldier

By Samuel W. Ryder

07/03/20

A/N: I assure you all the next chapter will be out soon but it needs a bit more and some tightening still. So, in the meantime I hope this will do as a place holder.

Chapter Interlude 1

She'd done it, she'd found her ideal man. He also just so happened to be walking away from her at the moment, and while she didn't want him to leave she was more than happy to watch as he went.

Granted, he didn't seem to be as interested in her as she was in him citing a previous relationship as the cause, which confused her. A man who cleaned, was polite and treated her like a person, looked her in the eye instead of the chest, was capable of a strange magic, and was extremely attractive. What woman would get rid of a man like that?

Either way, she decided she was going to make Shirou Emiya hers.

The question was how?

"Mimozaaaaa." She wailed as she turned to her master. Over the years they'd managed a decent relationship and Arpeggio was more than a little glad that her master was so laid back, at least in anything not concerning a certain perverted wizard anyway. If her master were anyone else, she'd no doubt that she'd either have been forced into less than savory conditions or she'd have been released from her apprenticeship.

"How am I supposed to get him? I've never had a guy who wasn't interested in me before. I've never had to seduce a man either."

Mimoza laughed, "Oh my, oh dear! I just knew you weren't going to let that stop you dear. I'm so very proud! Why once when I was your age I had three men all very attractive vying for my attention! They'd regale me with their feats of strength, tell me of the distant lands they'd visited. Give me expensive gifts. Oh my, oh dear. The fun we had." She said her face flushing while reminiscing.

Arpeggio too was red, though not for the same reasons. "Mimoza! I don't want to hear of the men you romped with! I need your help snaring a man of my own!" She grabbed her teacher by the cheek, pulling until the woman snapped out of her memories and was firmly in the present.

The elder woman rubbed at her cheek for a moment before looking at her student, a sharper look in her eye was present than Arpeggio had seen in years. "Don't fret my dear, you've been blessed with a bountiful bosom and a firm rear, powerful weapons in your battle, make sure you use them. He might resist at first but no man can reign himself in forever."

Arpeggio stomped her foot and shook her hair, sending the messy locks tumbling around her creating further disorder. "And I told you! He doesn't seem concerned about my boobs! He didn't look at them even once!"

"So, he has a one track mind." Mimoza shrugged, "wait until he's done capturing the boy and try again. You should have no trouble seducing him then."

Arpeggio wasn't so certain, part of what made the foreigner so attractive was that he didn't take the chance to try and cop a feel or two on her like so many other guys would've. But she nodded nonetheless.

"Oh my," Mimoza said as she looked over her obviously unsure apprentice. Stepping forward she cupped Arpeggio's breasts and hefted them slightly. "Since the beginning of time these have rarely failed in capturing a man, yours will be caught as well, have faith my dear."

That was definitely true. All of her married friends would go on and on about how their man or men in some situations, just adored playing with their breasts. Some even seek marriage just so they could have a chance to play with them more often.

She still couldn't help but feel Shirou just wasn't the type though and the thought warmed her. Then a stray thought occurred to her, her friend Tamberline had brought it up as the reason her men prefered her.

"Mimoza, what if he likes smaller breasts?"

Her teacher shook her head. "As much as they may state otherwise no man will turn down boobs no matter their size dear. Have faith in the power of the boobs."

Elsewhere in the special region a woman who's years vastly outweighed the youthful beauty she held knelt, in the darkness of a cave. The thin crystals throwing off a soft blue light. Her white hair pooled around her head while her blue wings were spread wide in fealty.

"My lady, it has been as you've commanded, the mother dragon has awoken and I have set her on the path of Rory Mercury." She glanced up at the darkness where a tall busty figure stood cloaked in shadow.

"Well done my dearest Giselle, well done indeed. When Rory comes looking to find out why the mother dragon has woken early she will step into my domain and that's where I shall take her from that dreadful Emroy and make her mine."

A wide fang baring grin spread across her face as the warmth of her goddesses' praise filled her. "I live to serve, my lady."

The shadowed finger of her goddess traced her jaw in a way Giselle knew to mean she was indeed pleased. "I have a second task for you now." The goddess said.

She yearned to urge the goddess to speak, to encourage her own use, but she'd learned early on her lady Hardy didn't care for when those spoke without being bidden to do so. So she held her tongue and waited.

She didn't have to wait long at all. "In Rondel there is something magical happening. Something that seemingly bears the mark of the divine but is human in origin."

Her goddesses' words brought her up short. It wasn't often that her goddess would direct her toward humans, in fact Hardy barely noticed they existed save for the times she'd go to frolic with one of them or another. But added to that a human carrying human magic that belonged to the gods? Such things didn't happen! Couldn't happen.

If it were a new Demi-god her master would no doubt have heard about it alreay and she likely would have as well. So, it wasn't a new member to their numbers, a fact that suited her just fine.

"I'll leave at once my lady."

The figure walked back into the darkness, her last words echoing behind her. "See that you do Giselle, learn all you can and do not interfere. If one of the other gods is attempting to cultivate a new growth I'd like to know more before intervening."

Giselle shivered, the tense feeling of unimaginable power that came with her Goddesses presence vanished and she couldn't deny she missed it. While most would have fallen to their knees at the feeling of her lady's power, undoubtedly seeking to flee as quickly as they could manage upon her leaving, Giselle only felt a keen sense of loss. A tear slipped from her eye trailing its way down her skin, and she would have remained there for sometime yet if not for one thing.

Her stomach rumbled, howling for sustenance.

Standing she patted her stomach, "I believe there was a town just a little ways back. I'm sure they'll be happy to accommodate one of lady Hardy's apostles." She said

Yes, she decided, she could do with a meal before heading off on the hunt for her lady.

Back on Alnus Hill, Yanagida was having a bad day. Or to be more specific, he was having a disastrous week.

Even worse the disaster had a name and had been assigned to him.

Bazett Fraga McRemitz.

An odd woman to be sure, that wasn't including the prosthetic arm she had that functioned just as well as the original or the fact that her hair was a natural shade of purple of all things, nor even that she proclaimed that the earrings she wore, once belonged to the ancient hero of Ireland himself. Cu Chulainn. Ill tempered and hating paperwork the woman was snapping at anyone who came near, Yanagida included. If that was all it were, he was sure he could have brushed it off, there were plenty of grumpy soldiers working with him after all.

That she kept insisting on joining any of the recon teams however and trying to prove to him that she was a better option. Well that led to the loss of three tires, a box of rations and a tent. Which in the end just gave Yanagida more paperwork. Well that was more than a touch annoying.

What was the most irritating thing however was the way she insisted on checking the food for poison at every meal.

All in all, for the life of him Yanagida had no idea why she volunteered to go into the special region. Despite that she had proven to be a fount of knowledge that had helped him and the rest of the JSDF in putting a number of strategic assignments together for the other mages in case of attack by enemy forces.

Though the kingdoms beyond the gate didn't seem to be in any particular hurry to attack them after the last massacre that occurred.

He sighed as he checked his watch, nine o clock and he'd only just finished the last of his paperwork. The mess hall was going to be closed but maybe if he was lucky they set aside something for him. After all he hadn't gotten out before eight thirty for the past week.

"Sir?" The crisp clear voice of McRemitz came from the entrance of the tent and Yanagida jumped. She walked forward toward him, a small sheaf of papers in her hand. A series of papers that Yanagida knew without looking was a duty transfer packet. She'd handed one in everyday since she'd arrived.

"He held up a hand forestalling her next statement. "Ms. McRemitz, as I have told you before, I have not said no to your transfer but at this time every team is currently out in the field." Taking off his hat he rubbed his head.

"But sir. My skills-"

"I told you I would see what I can do to get you added to the fifth deep recon in their study of magic upon their return." He had to fight the urge to throw his hat on the ground. "Now may I please go see if I can't find out if they left me anything for dinner?"

"Yes Sir!" She saluted.

He stormed out of the room not noticing the frown that was firmly fixed to her face.

Falen La Brikbok, was a master mage only because he refused the higher positions, it just wasn't worth spending all day dealing with the other fogies that wanted to show off their title. It just wasn't his cup of tea as Mimoza would say.

Not that he liked going on adventures anymore either. He was just too old for such things. The very thought brought shooting pains lancing through his legs and back. He hobbled over to his chair and settled into his chair by the fire.

It was something that he couldn't help, getting older, that is, he'd tried, he was the foremost expert in potions on the continent after all and the best he'd managed to do was slow down his own aging. Overall it was not an effect he would think anyone past their prime would care for. No one wanted to prolong their own suffering after all.

"Master Falen," a young woman whispered as she slipped through the door. "Is it true that the visitors from Alnus have strange tools and magics?"

Falen grunted as his apprentice, Aster Lights, settled a tray laden with tea's and breads with cheese and meat in front of him. "It's true enough, though I've only seen one of them with any magical ability. He conjured swords apparently and was able to slay the massive Chimera tonight where our own mages couldn't.

"Wow," Aster whispered.

Falen snorted, "apparently he's not the most skilled of mages in his world, in fact he himself stated he was third rate at best."

"A humble mage." Aster all but whispered shocked.

Falen understood too, those who wielded magic often tended to be more full of themselves. It wasn't surprising considering they could temporarily rewrite the rules of reality in some way shape or form. "Indeed, and just recently Arvin reported the boy's just as humble as he appears to be."

"You sent a spy?" Aster gasped.

He slammed his hand into the arm of his chair getting his apprentice to jump in surprise and fright. "Of course I did! He's a dangerous person! There's something about him that screams death."

He could hear Aster gulp and sighed. The girl was lacking, "grow a spine" he snapped. "As dangerous as he is, he's still just a man! You know you can take Arvin's next shift come the morrow."

What she didn't know was that this was her last chance, if she still failed to grow a backbone, well he didn't have time for wishy-washy students.

"Begone!" He roared when she said nothing.

End.

A/N: I know there's alot going on all over from truly peaceful protests to riots. Not to mention Covid-19. All I can say folks is Live Strong and be well.

I do hope you enjoyed folks and Happy Independence day!

I do have and typically post my chapters there a few days early. You just have to add swryder after the slash and you'll find me. I also periodically work the chapters into an Epub file for download.


	6. Chapter 5

Phantasmal Soldier

By SamWRyder

Author's note: Hey there folks! Here's the chapter as promised.

Chapter 5

For hours they combed the city, whether due to their meagre numbers, lack of knowledge regarding the city, or their quarry's own cleverness, the result was the same. They couldn't even find a trail to follow.

Shirou sighed, again he toyed with the idea of tracing hrunting, a noble phantasm belonging to Beowulf, said to endlessly seek its target. He only refrained because hrunting was a powerful arrow in his quiver as it were, well that and the fact that he really didn't want to know if the arrow could differentiate his target with others who possibly held the same name. The last thing he wanted was to shoot an innocent bystander while trying to find the criminal. So search he did, by sight, by sound, by scent, and even his rudimentary sixth sense. Inhaling through his nose he shook his head, he could smell the chimera and the magic that had helped to create it. The scent was like a horribly burnt coffee bean that someone had tried to make a stew out of. It was foul.

Though he was able to pick up the scent, the problem came with the fact the smell just plain permeated the entire city. Oh, there were brief instances where the smell intensified before it vanished, and for a time he dragged his team around half certain he was following the mage who'd created the beast. That process is what led them to where they were at the current moment.

Sitting at a table in an ale house, which seemed to be the set up for just about every restaurant in the city. The food was nothing special, bordering on bland even as the cook tried to cater to as many tastes as possible. It was too bad that when one tried too hard to please everyone, no one was ever fully satisfied.

"Emiya sir," Teruhashi said, still uptight to the degree his hand never once left his pistol even as he ate. "I know you want to help, it's not like I don't, but our mission is to gather information on this world's magic. It isn't in our directive to search for a criminal."

Tanaka snorted at this, his face twisting into a fierce scowl as he looked at his fellow soldier. "In my day we wouldn't run from a problem just because it was someone else's. No, we'd help as many as we can." He harrumphed, stood, and walked over to the door to lean against the frame as he peered about looking for any potential threats.

Shirou looked at Teruhashi's face which looked ready to spit out a retort but in the end refrained."Stupid old man, we can't save everyone and just trying would run us all ragged. I say we take what we know and head back to base camp at Alnus Hill."

"I understand what you're saying but there's nothing wrong with saving others. Besides, Arpeggio-san has agreed to allow me to borrow one of the books on magic from the library," Shirou said trying to appease the soldier sitting across from him.

Shirou was about to say more when Tanaka came rushing back to the table, the smell of oddly seasoned meat following after him. "Sir there's got to be another half dozen beastie's like the one from last night, but this time they're much smaller. None bigger than a man.

Shirou stood, his tracing already begun. It was a spear, one without a name, once used by the sixth soldier in the forty-fourth row of the Spartan army In the battle of Thermopylae, his name was Ternus son of Marcel. He was by all rights unimportant, he hadn't accomplished anything that could be called legendary, in fact he'd died twenty minutes after engaging the enemy. There was however a reason he traced that spear, in those twenty minutes of battle Ternus, in spite of being forced into the military. He had done something truly great. Despite being pierced with arrows, bleeding from multiple wounds, he still fought on. When he finally succumbed to his injuries, a circle of enemy soldiers lay around him. Only the fact that every member of the platoon he was a part of died had kept him from becoming a legend, though one that would have remained minor.

Still, the spear had one ability, derived from Ternus himself after enough of his blood spilled over it. It gained an awareness, one it shared with its wielder. When one held the spear that person gained the knowledge of every enemy around them. How far they were away, if they were attacking, even a rough approximation of their health. Overall, it would barely rate as a D rank noble phantasm if that. However, a small part of Shirou couldn't help but wonder how far it could have grown had it and Ternus made it to the throne.

He had found the spear while on a hunt. Some psycho was trying to create a servant or a being to that effect and had gathered together dozens of ancient weapons for that purpose. Not one he had used had belonged to a genuine heroic spirit, in the end all he managed to create was something akin to a golem that identified itself as a praetor of the Roman legion. It didn't last long after it's master was taken care of however.

Shirou all but crashed through the door as he made his exit with his breath caught in his throat. There in the streets was a pack of no less than nine man sized chimera. While not coated in green scales like the one from the previous night: each one possessed a lion's head, a snake for a tail, and wings closer to that of a bats rather than a dragons.

They were devouring the butchers' meats and various fruits from the nearby stands, burning whatever they came across before beginning to eat it. People were screaming, some were burnt or gored, while others were just terrified.

Prana flooded through him and as he charged forward, leaving a deep imprint on the ground he once stood upon and a cloud of dust behind him. He skewered the first enemy he reached, the spear passing clean through to the other side but instead of trying to rip it free, Shirou kept pushing forward. He leapt over the beast, grabbed the spear, and pulled it free. So, there he stood amidst the pack of beasts, his spear doused in the blood of the first chimera and before it had finished falling to the ground the others had turned their attention to him.

"Trace bullet." Shirou snapped as their mouths began to glow a flaming orange. They were all nameless blades, but that was fine, they formed in the blink of an eye. A full dozen broadswords of the finest steel floating in the air in a circle around him. "Fire."

The projected blades sprang away from him as if fired from a canon. Whether due to seeing them form, a natural instinct, or a sixth sense that bordered on precognition. Only one of the beasts fell to the rain of blades, the others all got away with only a scratch here or a gash there. Nothing that would inhibit their movement or fighting ability.

The ratatatatatatatata of gunfire suddenly filled the air in bursts and another four of the chimera fell. Tanaka and Teruhashi ran to join him, they would fire another series of shots but none of the remaining three were hit. The surviving chimeras leapt onto buildings like a squirrel onto a tree and sprinted about, avoiding each shot.

"Emiya sir, don't run into danger without us!" Teruhashi growled at him as the chimeras made their way down into the street white fire glowing in their open maws'.

Taking a stance Shirou readied his spear to throw, already the blueprint of Rho Aias took residence in the forefront of his mind. "Sorry couldn't wait."

Abruptly the lead chimera froze in place the white fire petering out as it sniffed the air and roared. The other two quickly followed suit and the three rushed forward together.

Shirou stabbed out and missed as the chimera leapt clear over the three of them and as if the flames of hell were nipping at their feet, hightailed it down the street, roaring as they went. More roars further away answered back it's call.

"Looks like Mimoza-san was right. Those things have a target." Tanaka grunted as he lifted his gun to fire another shot at their retreating forms and stopped. The people who'd hidden while the monsters rampaged were exiting their hiding places and running for their homes.

With a thought Shirou broke the spear down into motes of light and looked at his companions. "I'm giving chase. Get the jeep."

He knew they were going to argue, so he didn't wait. He darted down the street following after the beasts and as they turned the corner he leapt on top of the nearest building. The wind whipped past his ears as he ran, despite this he'd no trouble following the roars, they were getting closer to the city's center.

Where once there were only a handful of roars, maybe two, the caconophy the beasts made suggested so many more of them. By the time he'd reached the main square, he found a horde of the monsters surrounding a large fountain. In it was a statue of two people holding out scrolls. Atop the statues, crouched a squat man with a thin black beard in bright blue robes and a ridiculous floppy wizards hat. Occasionally he would swing his hand sending out a swarm of small lights that ran off the chimeras fur without doing anything.

"Sir, we're in the jeep heading down mainstreet." Tanaka said, "what's your location?"

There was a moment Shirou looked about for a street sign before he realized he wasn't on the streets. Looking around he instantly got his bearings. Silently he thanked Arpeggio for previously pointing out the building he saw as one of the main landmarks in the city. "I'm on one of the rooftops near the town square, just beside the academy."

Below him the roars grew louder. Two of the chimera stood in the fountain and were trying to push the statue over.

The loud rumble of an engine signaled the approach of at least some of his squad.

"Help me! Help!" The wizard yelled apparently having heard the jeep.

Shirou extended his hand and the bow that he'd seen used so many times by his possible future self filled his mind.

It was an odd weapon, as he knew not its name. Even knowing the history of the weapon failed to provide one. Forged from metals that humanity had yet to discover. Western in style, the bows pull was beyond any normal man. With it the Counter Guardian Emiya had taken countless lives. The rumbling of the engine had died.

The heavy black bow filled his hands and Shirou turned his attention to the arrow needed. Arrows themselves would have more than sufficed given how they didn't seem to have a defense against anything but magic, however any normal arrow would shatter under the bow's force. In his mind an arrow formed, plain in its make but like the arrows he fired into the river to get the fish he added into its history. Hrunting's history of never missing its mark, Gae bulg's ability to strike the heart.

In his hand the arrow formed, its fletchings, body, and head were black as if bathed in coal dust and across its form were lines of blood red, sharp barbs extended from the arrow head.

"Branfros Isbad, you called my theories ludicrous! My work, that of a mad fool!" The words came from a young boy walking swiftly down the steps of a nearby building.

Pressing down on the call button of his radio Shirou spoke. "Our target's here."

There was a brief burst of static, "Roger that." Tanaka said, "Do we take him?"

Shirou frowned, he could shoot the target himself, he'd seen enough dead mages to know they weren't prepared for bullets. With his current weapon he could easily take the shot but... "I'd like to take him alive if you can. I'll take care of the chimera."

The sound of static that accompanied the radio's when activated was filled with a number of clicks that Shirou knew meant that the team was checking over their weaponry. "Roger, we'll begin at your mark." Tanaka said.

Taking a breath Shirou drew the bow and when the string had reached its full draw weight, he flooded the makeshift phantasm with prana. The spines grew as the arrow glowed an awful red: it had become twisted, fragile, and broken.

He couldn't announce the name of the shot as it didn't have one, but it did nothing to lessen its ability. It didn't fly through the air, it screamed. As if dragging a banshee along with it, the arrows noise made it impossible not to notice, but just because someone had warning didn't mean they could do a thing about it. It shattered as it struck the concrete and unlike the arrow Emiya used of Hercules it didn't explode.

Well maybe it did, but just a little. Only enough to create a small crater.

The spines launched through the air even as the sound of machine guns filled the air. Shirou focused on his shot despite the target's screams of pain, he needed to know exactly how the arrow reacted to being broken. The spines moved in what he could only describe as small swarms as they riddled at least six of the chimera with holes all at once before moving on. None of them however, came close to Branfros Isbad.

Shirou waited, gripping and re-gripping the bow, looking for any sign that the horde remained. However, between the lack of howling and motion it told him there wasn't any left. Finally he turned his attention back to the culprit responsible for this whole catastrophe. The youth wore a long black cloak with a vibrant red piping, his browl brown hair hung limp around his face and was currently screaming his lungs out while holding onto his leg.

By the time Shirou made it down to his team, which had already surrounded their target, Branfros Isbad was also standing a few feet from him. "You're the little brat that said you've figured out a way to recreate the familiar processes! Willy Lickdoll, I knew a pissant like you wasn't ready to be a master."

He knew it was childish of him but the surprise of the enemy's name alone pulled a snort from him.

Their target, Willy Lickdoll all but roared from the ground on his stomach, his arms zip tied behind him. "Branfros Isbad!, you overblown buffoon! My name is Ailliam Lyckdall," He roared. "Why wont you just die?! The other's were willing to give my theories a chance until you butted in!"

Branfros snorted and Shirou slipped between the two. "Isbad-san, if you'd be so kind as to take a message to Falen at the academy. Tell him we've caught Lyckdall-san."

The squat man turned rosey and tapped his bulbous nose before he wandered toward the academy muttering under his breath.

"I'm not done! I'll see you dead Branfros Isbad! This is only the beginning! Your corpse will be left in the sun to rot as it's devoured by crows! '' the vengeful youth yelled.

A small thud drew Shirou's attention back to Lyckdall, the younger man now unconscious, a large bulging bump beginning to form on his head. Teruhashi shrugged, "I hate threats like that." He stated in lieu of an explanation.

In the end, the rogue mage Lyckdall was bandaged and left in jail, the corpses of the chimeras were gathered, and when his arrow's spines were being collected Shirou broke down the construct. The gatherer's all looked at Shirou, aggrieved as if he'd stolen something from them but soon turned to a different task.

As he made his way out of the square Shirou found himself the target of a very familiar well endowed woman, "Shirou!"

The affectionate female mage wrapped herself about him while giggling like mad. "I knew you'd be able to do it."

"Arpeggio-san." Shirou said as he slowly pulled himself free. "While I appreciate your enthusiasm, like I said earlier I'm just not intereste-"

Arpeggio pulled away a bright smile on her face, she clasped her hands behind her back and leaned forward, certain large round objects bouncing notably before him. "In a relationship right now. I heard you but what's so wrong with giving you a hug? You just saved the city again after all. Is it so wrong to say thank you?"

He could hear Tanaka, Teruhashi, and Yumehara chuckling behind him, what was worse is that she hadn't really said or done anything wrong. Finally, he shook his head in wry acceptance, a gentle smile present on his face. "I guess not?"

"Good! Now you said you wanted to borrow a book? Is there any one in particular you're looking for?" She began asking, coquettishly while tapping her chin.

Shirou nodded, "'The basics of the basics by Cante La Hope'"

"Well you don't make easy requests do you?" She sighed, seeing Shirou's confused look she continued. "The basics of the basics has a total of three copies and can only have three copies. She used the principles she talks about in the book to charm the book so there could only be three copies available at any one time."

"Lieutenant Emiya," Waver said as he strode up a folded paper bird in his hand. It shook like a leaf. "Order's from Alnus."

Taking the bird he unfolded it before the thing began to speak. Of all the things he'd seen during his time as an apprentice magus living in the clock tower the messenger birds were one of the creepiest by far. It wasn't because they spoke the message written on them which amounted to the ability of a primitive pager. No it had to do with the fact that their creators found some way to fill the things with fear. They were terrified of everyone but the chosen recipients.

That the JSDF was using them was a real surprise, though it probably shouldn't have been. The amount of transmissions they'd received had been reduced to zero since before they'd entered Rondel.

Shirou scanned the letter and although there were a number of fancy words in it. In the end all it amounted to was, 'come back.' "Tanaka, start packing the gear, we've been recalled."

"Sir!" Tanaka snapped, "you heard the man, put a little pep in that step and get a move on!" He called.

Behind him, Shirou heard one of them whine, "But Sarge! I didn't even get to visit the shopping district and we still have to offload that axe the lieutenant got!"

"It'll have to wait…" replied Tanaka with a slight exasperated tone at his subordinate's antics

As Tanaka continued his diatribe about duty and the chain of command, Shirou turned his attention back to Arpeggio. The female mage looked stricken, her untamable hair even seemed to lose some of its energy.

"You're leaving?" She asked quietly.

Shirou nodded, "Orders." He added in explanation.

Right in front of him Arpeggio visibly deflated, as if she'd been hit with a sentencing of a lifetime in prison. Her head hanging low she started off down the street. "I'll get your book then."

He wanted to help, really he did, but without deciding to end his contract with the JSDF, there was no way he could. After all, it was through the JSDF that would allow him to help more people. He just couldn't let that go.

However from the corner of his eye he soon spotted someone, a short figure likely female judging by the twin tailed hairstyle peering at him from the shadows. As he turned to look at her she gave a small jump in response and disappeared around the corner.

Shirou shrugged, it wasn't the first time he'd seen someone from Rondel curious enough to watch him. As he started heading toward the jeep the feeling he was being watched came again and as he turned to look he found the same twin tailed girl at the corner staring at him. Behind him the jeep's engine roared to life and he jerked back around to find the jeep pulling away.

"See you back at the inn Lieutenant!" Yumehara called out with a wide smile.

Shirou snorted as they pulled out of sight. Honestly he should have expected something like that to happen. Yumehara had had some bad luck recently when it came to drawing straws as of late and was far too stubborn to allow anyone else to take over when she'd pulled the short straw again. With each time she succeeded in getting the worst draw, the more fidgety she became and had since began pulling small pranks. Recently she'd glued Teruhashi's left shoe to his foot, replaced Tanaka's sugar with salt, and not even Gray and Waver had managed to get away scott free. Yumehara had somehow managed to add itching powder to his coat and his apprentice's cloak. Though where she got the itching powder from was beyond him.

He started back rounding the corner of the academy to a side street. Shirou was halfway down the street when he saw his recent watcher had followed him, making an exaggerated effort to sneak behind boxes or to walk behind a couple heading his way. He laughed, an experienced spy, the girl was not.

Still, he was curious, instead of heading straight back to the inn Shirou made a detour. First to a food stall selling skewered meats in a spicy sauce that had him ordering a second even as he finished the first, then to a nearby bookstore that caught his eye. He'd glanced at a dozen titles ranging from 'Wild Berries, the Dues and Dangers.' To the bit more exotic 'God's Chosen Tribute, Our Joy in the Final Acts'

From there he stopped at another stall, this one showing jewelry though he didn't take more than a passing glance at it. Afterwards, he made his way through a noodle stall, one selling sweet buns, a butcher shop, and finally to an exotic animal dealer ti which he was slightly tempted to get a small lizard about the length of his forearms that had what looked like a series of gemstones growing from its back. Though he pushed the thought away as quickly as it came. Rin wouldn't be pleased to get a gift from him anymore, even one such as the lizard. Then he snorted in humor when he thought further about it, of course she'd love it and probably would extract the stones all at once before studying the creature and seeing if it could make more.

Through his entire trip, she followed. At some point she'd drawn close enough for him to get a good look at her. She was of middling height, blonde hair tied in twintails, and wore a white robe tied with a bright green ribbon. She wasn't an urchin, he noted she was too clean to be one and was far too old to follow someone so far out of mere curiosity. He could only conclude she must have been told to follow him.

For a moment he toyed with the idea of leading her on a wild goose chase, one that would exhaust her before he popped up and asked her all the questions he had. Instead he decided on a faster option. Turning on his heel as he passed by an alley he ran, he knew the girl was trying to follow him immediately, she had hidden herself behind several barrels and when he suddenly bolted she'd tried to follow and ended up tumbling over them. It gave him enough time to make his way up a few crates and onto a nearby roof before she rounded the corner.

As she came into the alley all of the energy in her seemed to drain away at him being nowhere in sight. Reinforcing himself, Shirou stepped down from the edge and dropped down right behind her. "Can I help you?"

Slowly, almost robotically in the way she turned to face him, she screamed as if he were a hound from hell in front of her rather than a man. Shirou threw himself back as her hand came up and a blinding flash of light spread outward from her palm.

The first thing Shirou noticed as the light died away and his vision returned was that the girl was not very fast, he spotted her turning around a corner down the alley. Shirou surged forward, wind whipping across his face, he rounded the corner seconds after she did and found that she hadn't slowed down to mingle into the crowd, Instead she was frantically pushing and shoving her way past everyone in her path, seemingly becoming more desperate with each passing second.

Shirou was about to leap on top of the roofs again to follow when the girl ran into a large man, though calling him large was like saying the bite of a bullet ant was just a sting. The man was massive, he would have come up to Berserker's chin with his height and he stopped the girl with a hand that wrapped easily about her middle. "Gibbon let me go!" She yelled looking back over her shoulder, her eye's locking directly with the foreign mage she was following.

As the crowd coagulated around the girl, Shirou made his way to the large man, Gibbon staring straight at him and one of the man's ham-like hands raised to point a thick sausage-like finger toward him. "What have you done to Aster?" He bellowed, and just like that two things happened.

One. He now knew the girl's name, Aster, and Two, the crowd's attention now turned to him like a swarm of bees whose hive was just destroyed as they buzzed in conversation around him.

He had to stop himself from taking a half step back in surprise. Raising his hands, palms out, the universal sign that he meant no harm. Shirou Emiya instead took a step forward, a half dozen blueprints already locked in his mind in case worst came to worst. "The girl, Aster was following me, I wanted to know why." He said in explanation.

The giant of a man turned back to Aster looking truly disgruntled. For a time he said nothing as he looked back to Shirou and then once again at Aster. Finally he said, "Boy are you a wizard?"

Shirou almost started to shake his head, but going by the definition of the people in the special region, especially within the city of Rondel, that's exactly what he was. He nodded and the man's mouth thinned.

"Follow me." He rumbled and sighed before walking off with the twin tailed girl Aster still held in one hand. Through the streets he led them, though Shirou was tempted to ignore the man since he'd little reason to do as the man said he followed. The man didn't look back even once as if he were unconcerned whether Shirou followed after him or not.

When they stopped Shirou found they were once more in the city's center, in front of the very building they'd secured Lyckdall earlier no less. It was a marble columned building stretching well above those on either side and held a dome top like several others in the city. Engraved deep within the white stone was the language of the special region and images of phantasmal beasts, such as winged lions, hippocampi, dragons, and the like.

"Up you go." He said planting a pale Aster down in front of him.

Aster shook her head and started stepping backwards to find Gibbon's large hand stopping her from moving further. "Please Gibbon," She spoke frantically, "please just let me go. Please."

Her fright was unsettling to Shirou, while the girl didn't seem to be one with a strong backbone, she was coming apart like a sandcastle amidst the rising tide. What could be inside that building that was so frightening to the young woman, he wondered.

Gibbon shook his massive head, "'Fraid not. Unless you want to settle it with a duel?"

A duel, Shirou thought, all he wanted to know was why she was following him! If she wanted a duel, then he'd just have to forfeit, he decided. But when she looked at him, as if to prove it possible the already pale girl paled even further than she was a moment ago. She shook her head in fear, whimpering all the while, Shirou could do little more than watch as she almost charged up the steps.

Tapping on Gibbon's arm, Shirou waited until the large man looked at him. "So what's this place?" He asked.

The look Gibbon gave him was almost accusing, "What kind of wizard doesn't know of the council building? It's only where any disputes between wizards of different levels are settled."

Shirou made his way up the stairs, "Someone who's just passing through town?" He called over his shoulder. If Gibbon came up with a response Shirou didn't hear it as he entered the building.

The already massive building seemed even more so from the inside. In the room, including Shirou himself there were a mere four people, Aster and two guardsmen dressed in what looked like shining silver with symbols etched in a blood red. A guard waved what looked like a wand at him swathing him a veil of yellow light, the same yellow light that also surrounded Aster.

"You've come at a good time, the council has finally wrapped up their latest argument. You two just head on in, I've to make a trip to the Fried Pipers." The guard who hadn't cast the spell on them said.

As he left the building Shirou could have sworn the man was muttering about how they'd better have all the rye bread for the order this time around and then he was gone. The remaining guard guided them into the room up a handful of stairs and gestured Shirou into one of the enclosed circular platforms and Aster into the other.

The council was made up of twelve people sitting in a half circle behind a curving marble desk and a thirteen seat sitting above them rapping his fingers on his solitary desk. Spaced evenly throughout the room were marble columns of the same make as at the top of the stairs. Intricate carvings far more detailed than those on the outside of the building laced the walls. Only one fact kept the room from being truly awe inspiringly beautiful. The council members were screaming back and forth at one another.

"And I'm telling you! That those chimera wouldn't be tasty at all! By La they smelled of brimstone!" Said a man garbed in heavy white veils, the only skin that was visible was his large nose, his eyes and his hands.

A woman wearing a blue outfit piped in gold and wearing a excessively floppy hat in the same color dotted with what looked like real butterflies responded just as heatedly. "The sulfur snails smell of brimstone as well and they are a delicacy!"

"Stop acting like children!" A third wizard with eyes that seemed to be too large for his otherwise plain face snapped. "With enough sauce anything will taste wonderful! I say when Delmon returns we have him bring the slabs we had gathered and then fetch us a chef!"

"Indeed, we shall prove just how noxious this meat is!" Agreed a large man his red vestments caked with food and heavy stains. He seemed absolutely giddy at the prospect.

Beside Shirou the guard groaned and stamped hard on the floor. "Your esteemed honors, a case has arrived!" He called solemnly.

The bickering stopped and every eye turned to Shirou and Aster. "This isn't some silly squabble between lovers now is it?" A voice Shirou recognized caught his ear, turning his attention to the man second from the end of the right side of the table. Falen sat there gazing down at them with a scornful look on his face.

Shirou wasn't quite sure how to address the elder, he wasn't as familiar with the man as Mimoza so it didn't seem quite right to use his first name and he didn't know the man's family name, nor his title. "No sir." He finally settled on.

"I should say not! This is the honorable council of mages! We who govern all the magic within the city!" The veiled man said pointedly.

"Indeed." Added the man sitting above the rest of the council. "However, as our lunch order will be arriving soon, it would behoove this honored council to hear these two out so that it may yet be hot when we indulge."

As soon as he finished speaking the entire council nodded as if he'd spoken the greatest words of wisdom ever said.

"Well girl, speak up!" Falen demanded, "Did this boy wrong you? Make untoward advances?"

Aster said nothing choosing instead to wildly shake her head while staring at her feet. Falen looked about to try again when the veiled man raised a hand. "Honored Falen, perhaps we should see what the young man has to say."

Though he turned bright red, Falen nodded and gestured for Shirou to speak.

"I was heading back to my room to ready myself to leave when I caught this girl following behind me. When I caught up to her she ran away."

"I see, I see" the veiled man interrupted, "this apprentice was attempting to spy on your strange magic. Hmm, I see." He nodded to himself as though he truly understood.

A loud gasp came from about the room. "To do such a thing is beyond this innocent girl! Silence yourself Henas Eye or I'll do it for you! The ruffian is obviously the aggressor in this matter!"

"Surely you jest! This young man is the one who dispatched the chimeras and saved numerous citizens! He captured Lyckdall! This girl is no doubt a thief! She won't even meet our eye!" Henas swept his arm about as he spoke, pointing toward Shirou and Aster in turn.

Shirou's head began to ache and the feeling that any discussion with the council would fly about as well as a stone began to fill him. This was further proven as those around the room began choosing sides, one going so far as to create a third faction whose sole belief was that Shirou and Aster were in cahoots to waste the council's time.

"Boy just speak!" Roared the man sitting above the rest as he slammed his gavel into the desk.

So Shirou did, he repeated his story and managed to finish this time without any interruptions. After hearing his tale the entire council was frowning.

"The incident didn't come to a conclusion then, so save for curiosity as to why she was following you, you've no complaints about this girl?" The head councilman asked, he steepled his fingers and glanced toward the veiled man.

Shirou nodded.

"Very well." He said and from beneath his desk he pulled a silver cup. "Well it seems the veritas cup shall be required."

He poured water from a pitcher in the cup and held it out to the side where the stained man quickly took it and began passing it down the line until it reached Falen. The old wizard stood and waving his hand above the cup it glowed a deep green. The council head nodded and the action was mirrored by the rest of the council. Falen then stepped around the table and walked up to Aster extending the cup.

He waved his hand over it once more and once more it shined green with Aster looking up into the man's eyes as he pressed the cup into her hands. Shakily she took the cup and took a long drink. She sighed a moment later and turned her attention to the council.

"I am ready for yo-" She got no further as the whites of her eyes turned a vibrant purple, she grabbed her throat and slumped to the floor.

Shirou was moving as soon as he saw the change in her eyes, bounding over the shallow wall surrounding him and speeding for Aster. He reached her with the guard and reached for her neck. She'd no pulse, pushing the guardsman away he tilted her head back and was about to give her CPR when a strong thin hand closed on his shoulder.

"The kiss of life may end your life as her poison ended hers."

Shirou turned to look at the man incredulous; he seemed upset, perplexed, unnerved, and more than a little anxious as he stared down at Aster. That wasn't going to stop him though, Shirou knocked the man's hand away to start chest compressions even if he couldn't do CPR as a whole when he saw a thick black fluid bubbling up from her mouth and nose.

The council was in an uproar, barking orders to the guard, sending him running for healer's and certain wizards who's spell may unravel the mystery of what exactly was going on.

Shirou found himself being pulled away from Aster and being guided toward the door, "It would be best if you left now. The building is going into lockdown just in case this was an attack on the council and the girl was simply an unfortunate victim in it."

Though he wasn't trained in forensics Shirou was certain he wasn't supposed to leave without being cleared by the investigators, however when he brought it up Falen waved his concerns away. "No one thinks you had anything to do with this, you were the victim after all and as you said, nothing truly happened. No, it's best if you were to go before you get caught up in our squabbles. You must go!"

By the time he'd finished speaking they were outside and Shirou found that his team was waiting for him fully armed and ready to storm the building.

"Lieutenant!" Tanaka said, stepping forward. "We heard what happened."

Teruhashi nodded as he looked down his sights at Falen, "Any longer and we would've come to get you." He announced.

"Teruhashi, I'm fine." He started and turned to the oldest of his team. "Tanaka lets get out of here."

Tanaka saluted and all but bolted for the car. As Shirou slid into the passenger seat he jerked in surprise as arms snaked out from behind him and wrapped around him.

"Guess who."

Chapter end.

A/N: Hey there, hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Folk's if you're interested in influencing some of the decision's for this story or just supporting me in general you can head over to pat reon swryder to access the polls, see some character art that wout be anywhere else and get access to the story up to a week in advance!

By the way every third Saturday of the month I will be on a discord server, you can find the link on my twitter page or on my .

The next chapter will be coming in late August or early September. Look forward to it!

Thanks for reading!


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